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Prayer Sessions Held For Crane Collapse Victims

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Jun 1, 2008 11:19 pm US/Eastern

Prayer Sessions Held For Crane Collapse Victims

Buildings Dept.: One More Accident And Whole City Shuts Down

Reporting
Dave Carlin
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Sparks flew off balconies as crews worked into the night to shore up a building mangled by the toppled crane. Nearby a different spark lit candles and began a series of prayers.

At a prayer service, Upper East Side residents left homeless held a moment of silence.

"My home is broken and we need to fix it," said Mia Aharon. When the crane collapsed, Aharon was in a car on 91st St. waiting to be taken to school. "I hear a boom and then I saw fire."

Her father Rafi said he's grateful his family survived. "The apartment is okay. I'm sure were going to go back soon, because god saved us," said Rafi Aharon.

On Sunday night, he prayed for the families of the two construction workers killed by the crane – 30-year-old Donald Leo and 27-year-old Ramadan Kurtaj.

On Staten Island, a wake was held for Leo, the crane operator who was about to get married.

Too much building being done too fast is the complaint from residents who say they now view the city's many construction cranes as potentially teetering and treacherous.

"We walk around them. We cross the street. We don't go anywhere near cranes especially after this," Upper East Side resident Robert Konzen said.

Mayor Bloomberg said that while safety comes first, construction must continue. The exceptions are four sites with Kodiak cranes identical to the one that collapsed Friday, which remain at a standstill.

"We just can't have this constant stream of accidents," Mayor Bloomberg said. "There four others of this model in the city. We issued stop work orders right away on all four of those and we will make sure anything we can do to ensure safety is done."

At an emergency meeting Saturday, acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LaMandri reportedly told construction industry leaders and experts: one more accident and the whole city shuts down.

The Manhattan District Attorney opened a criminal investigation. The doomed crane could be the same one that cracked at another site, and may have been welded before going up on 91st St. If it was taken out of service then improperly put back in, that could lead to criminal liability.

"How many more people have to die before they realize something has to be done," asked Upper East Side resident Able Jackson.

A published report says there is photographic proof that paper was stuffed into the crane's turntable, suggesting the presence of a dangerous oil leak that should have been detected.

Apart from the investigation, the three most pressing concerns for this battered block include a speedy clean up, getting traffic moving again, and getting people back in their homes.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.