Scaffold Collapse Leaves 3 Unconscious in Kanagawa

Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref., April 7 (Jiji Press)–Three workers were critically injured and are unconscious after they fell from a scaffold that collapsed Tuesday at the Keihin District of JFE Steel Corp.’s East Japan Works in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo. An emergency call was made to a fire department around 4:25 p.m., reporting that multiple people fell as a scaffold as high as about 40 meters collapsed at the facility of the major Japanese steelmaker. Five workers, all men, fell, and four of them were found and taken to a medical facility, the Kanagawa prefectural police and the Kawasaki fire department said. Firefighters and others are searching the area for the remaining missing person, who may have fallen into the sea. The East Japan Works’ Keihin District is on the artificial island of Ogishima. One of the four rescued workers also suffered injuries. The scaffold collapsed when workers were dismantling a large crane used for unloading iron ore from ships, according to the police. The Kanagawa police are investigating details to determine the cause of the accident. A strong wind advisory was in place in Kawasaki around the time of the accident. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]