What caused yesterday’s crane collapse in downtown Reykjavik?

Authorities investigating the collapse of a construction crane in central Reykjavik yesterday suspect that the crane was lifting far too heavy a load – and that somebody had tampered with the crane’s safety gear.

Miraculously, nobody was hurt when the crane came crashing down over Reykjavik’s famous Bæjarins bestu hot-dog stand.

Officials from the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health in Iceland (AOSH) have already announced the findings of their initial investigation.

“Firstly, the crane is in no way structurally set up to carry a load as heavy as it was [at the time of the accident],” says AOSH Director Eyjólfur Sæmundsson.

“The crane also displays physical signs that the in-built safety system which is supposed to shut down the crane and prevent the lifting of excessive loads may have been tampered with.”