One person dead as crane falls on to shopping centre in Norway during high winds

A construction crane crashed onto a shopping mall in central Norway on Friday amid strong winds, killing one person and injuring at least two others, police said.

The winds likely caused the unmanned crane, which was at least 165 feet high, to slam on to the retail hub in Melhus, which is south of Trondheim, the Scandinavian country’s third-largest city, police spokesman Ebbe Kimo told the VG newspaper.

The crane collapse damaged the second and third floors of the building and firefighters were going through it searching for people, said police, adding they were using dogs and a drone.

Police later said that a person reported missing had been found dead, adding that no one else was unaccounted for.

Norwegian media said there were not many shoppers in the centre at the time of the collapse, which happened at 9.17am local time.

Those inside, including shop workers, were evacuated to the nearby city hall.

Local newspaper Tronderbladet said the roof inside the shopping centre has caved in.

The crane was on a building site at the centre, which was undergoing an expansion with new shops and apartments.

The expanded building was due to open in two stages in 2023, according to the facility’s web page.

A second crane is on the same site and Norwegian news agency NTB said police are looking into securing other tall machinery in the area.

Strong winds were reported across Norway on Friday, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.