São Paulo: Crane Falls onto Monorail Track, Train Hits Debris

In São Paulo, Brazil, a mobile crane fell onto the elevated track of a monorail line on Saturday, Oct. 24. Shortly afterward, a moving train struck the crane parts, which fell onto the busy Avenida Professor Luiz Ignácio Anhaia Mello, narrowly missing cars, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

According to the fire department, the crane operator was injured and treated by his own company. According to the operator Metrô, no passengers were injured.

Train knocks crane off the track

According to Metrô, the crane stood outside the rail system on an adjoining work site in the east of the city, in the area of São Lucas and Vila Prudente. It toppled onto the guideway of Line 15-Prata between the Oratório and São Lucas stations, near Camilo Haddad station. According to the fire department, it came to rest on the concrete structure and was pulled off by the train.

In the fall, a pipe, a tree, electrical cables and the wall of a commercial business were damaged. On the work site, the crane also hit parked vehicles. Videos show sparks at the wiring and cars reversing away on the street.

A video shared on the platform X shows the moment the train hits the crane and the parts fall onto the street.

After the collision, the train continued on with a damaged front. Passengers got off at the next station, and the train was then taken out of service for maintenance.

Replacement buses on part of the line

Metrô suspended service at 12:04 p.m. local time between the Vila Prudente and São Lucas stations. Replacement buses from the emergency system Paese are running on this section. Line 15-Prata is Brazil's first high-capacity monorail line and serves São Paulo's heavily used east side.

Between São Lucas and Jardim Colonial, trains are running at reduced speed with longer stops. According to Metrô, power was cut to the tracks from Camilo Haddad station to São Lucas. On Avenida Anhaia Mello, traffic toward the city center was blocked.

The fire department was alerted between 11:35 and 11:47 a.m. local time. According to the broadcaster Band, at least six fire department vehicles and two motorcycles were deployed. According to the fire department's initial findings, the monorail structure apparently was not damaged; service was suspended as a precaution. The civil protection agency Defesa Civil was called in to inspect the structure.

Cause still unclear

Why the crane toppled is still unclear. An employee told the broadcaster TV Globo that the crane belongs to the company Cortesia Equipamentos and had been on the site for some time. He said he did not know whether the crane was in operation at the time of the accident.

Metrô announced it would investigate the causes later. It was initially unclear when service on the entire line will return to normal.