NY crane collapse kills 2 construction workers, injures 1

New York City's medical examiner says a second person has died as a result of the construction crane collapse on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Friday.

The medical examiner's spokeswoman, Ellen Borakove, says the victim was a 27-year-old construction worker, Ramadan Kurtas. The accident also killed the crane's operator, identified as Donald Leo, 30, of Staten Island.

Authorities say another construction worker is in serious condition, and one pedestrian was treated for minor injuries.

It was the second deadly construction accident in the city in less than three months.

In March, a crane being used to work on a highrise building just four kilometres from the scene of Friday's accident tumbled onto a neighbouring townhouse, killing seven people.

Cranes at the site of the most recent accident had generated several complaints in the neighbourhood, including reports that safety barriers were breached and heavy loads passed over the heads of pedestrians, according to city building department records.