2 Dead, 1 Unconscious after Steel Beam Falls at Construction Site Near Tokyo Station (Update 2)

The construction site where a beam fell and killed two workers on Tuesday in Chuo Ward, Tokyo
11:00 JST, September 19, 2023 (updated at 17:00 JST)
A 15-ton steel beam fell from the seventh floor of a construction site in Tokyo’s Yaesu district Tuesday morning, leaving two workers dead and another unconscious and in critical condition.
According to a senior official at the Metropolitan Police Department’s Chuo Police Station, the station received an emergency call around 9:25 a.m. saying a steel beam had slipped, leaving several workers injured at the site near JR Tokyo Station.
During construction work, a steel beam, about 30 meters long, fell from the seventh to the third floor of the building. Four workers who were on the seventh floor fell with the beam. Another worker on the third floor was caught in the impact.
Two of the five workers, one in his 30s and the other in his 40s, were confirmed dead at a hospital, and another in his 40s was left unconscious and in critical condition. The remaining two, both in their 20s, were injured but in stable condition, police said.
A 51-story commercial complex with a four-floor basement is being constructed at the site, about 200 meters east of the Yaesu exit of JR Tokyo Station. According to the office of a joint venture between major general contractors Obayashi Corp. and Taisei Corp. that is in charge of the work, the beam was being hoisted at the time of the accident. The police are investigating the situation.
Construction began in 2021 as part of a project to redevelop the Yaesu area. The building will house offices, restaurants and a bus terminal, among other facilities, and work is scheduled to finish in 2025.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Tokyo Experiences Temperatures Exceeding 30 C for 1st Time This Year; Other Parts of Japan also See Soaring Temperatures
-
Japan’s Maglev Shinkansen’s Partially Completed Station Unveiled; Station Will Be Only Underground Stop Between Shinagawa, Nagoya
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Japan Pavilion Security Guard Headset Goes Viral on Social Media; Fans Delight at Similarity to Dragon Ball “Scouter”
-
2025 Expo Osaka: Yoshimura Asks Japan Expo Association to Consider Keeping Restaurants, Shops Open until Just before 10 P.M.
-
2025 Expo Osaka : Expo Venue Hit by Swarms of Chironomids; Organizers Cooperating with Pest Control Companies, Others to Deal with Outbreak
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Toyoda to Become Automobile Business Association of Japan Chairman; to Help Guide U.S. Tariff-Affected Industriessns
-
Visitors to Japan Hit Single-Month Record High in April
-
Japanese Researchers Develop ‘Transparent Paper’ as Alternative to Plastics; New Material Is Biodegradable, Can Be Produced with Low Carbon Emissions
-
Aichi Rice Production Under Siege from Warming Climate; Record Heat Stunts Crop Growth, Causes Greater Pest Activity
-
Japan’s Core Inflation Hits More than 2-year High, Could Force Year-End BOJ Hike