The Portuguese, who had stayed on the construction crane, is in medical care. A firefighter was injured in the operation.
A man started a fire on Tuesday, May 17, on a construction crane at Oerlikon train station.
A man waited 15 hours on a construction crane at Oerlikon train station. For 15 hours he keeps the emergency services busy, walking back and forth on the huge crane, repeatedly throwing objects down and setting parts of the crane on fire. It was only on Tuesday afternoon that a negotiating team from the Zurich city police succeeded in persuading him to descend.
The events take place under the eyes of the public. Below, around the spaciously cordoned off area, there are numerous onlookers. They all have an opinion about the man on the crane, who is later identified as a 34-year-old Portuguese man. “A crazy person,” says a senior citizen. It’s crazy, the whole station had to be closed because of it. The pensioner shakes her head.
Two construction workers who work on the affected Franklin Tower construction site are also standing in front of the barrier and looking up at the crane. During the operation, they cannot go to the construction site and have to wait. Such breakneck actions are now more common, says one of the workers. You probably have to secure the construction cranes now.
In the past there was only one sign saying that you were not allowed to enter the construction site. Now you have to put up fences everywhere. “And what’s next? Barbed wire everywhere?” asks one of the two workers. The day was over for him. “I’ve been on the mat since 7 a.m., I’m sure I won’t go to work in the afternoon.”
Rescuer injured in action
It all started on Monday evening. According to the Zurich city police, the Portuguese, who lives in the canton of Zurich, climbed onto the construction crane installed during the shell construction shortly before 8 p.m. However, the first attempts to contact him failed. Rescuers from Zurich Protection and Rescue and members of the police negotiation group went to the man on the crane with a lifting board. For the time being in vain.
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While occupying the construction crane, the man started a fire that went out by itself. On Tuesday morning, he started a second fire in the crane cabin. He himself was not in the cabin at the time.
The fire was extinguished by the Zurich protection and rescue fire brigade, as the city police write in their communiqué. He then set fire to other objects that should have been extinguished. The man also threw various objects, including tools, from the crane.
During another contact attempt, the man threw objects in the direction of the people on the aerial platform. At around 9 a.m., a protection and rescue worker was injured and had to be taken to the hospital. The nature and severity of the injuries are not known.
The 34-year-old man throws objects at the rescue workers on the aerial platform, injuring a firefighter.
Finally, the Portuguese retreated to the level of the weights of the crane boom. As a result, specialists from the negotiation group and rope specialists from the Skorpion intervention unit managed to talk to the man, as the Zurich city police write.
Shortly thereafter, he was persuaded to give up his endeavor. The 34-year-old was escorted down from the crane by emergency services. The paramedics were there ready to receive him. He was first taken to a police station and given medical treatment there. He is now in medical care.
The emergency services help the man to get down from the crane at the Oerlikon train station.
Not the first incident
The background to the action is currently unclear.
However, it is not the first time in Zurich that unauthorized persons have gained access to a construction crane and have to be persuaded to dismount by the police.
In September 2018, a 34-year-old asylum seeker from Lebanon climbed onto a construction crane at Zurich main station. Here, too, the rescue workers moved out with a large contingent. After several hours of negotiations via mobile phone, the cantonal police were able to persuade the man to climb down.
In February 2011, a 27-year-old Turkish asylum seeker climbed onto the trailer of a construction crane on Theaterplatz. With the help of an interpreter, the police were able to communicate with the man. After about five hours, he allowed himself to be arrested without resistance. The 27-year-old man was a repeat offender: in September 2010 he had climbed a crane at Bellevue. After the incident, he was admitted to a clinic.
Train traffic comes to a standstill
The large-scale operation also caused turbulence in public transport. The incident had an impact on rail traffic throughout Switzerland. The reason: Oerlikon train station had to be partially closed on Tuesday while the crane was occupied. As a result, rail traffic in Oerlikon came to a complete standstill at times. Already on Monday evening there were traffic delays between Bucheggplatz and Oerlikon train station.
Construction site operations were also severely affected by the incident. About 30 workers from the construction company Marti AG could not work for half a day because of the incident. For such a “special case” one is not insured, said the head of building construction at Marti AG “Blick”. The amount of damage is still being determined. According to Marti AG, the construction crane is badly damaged and will have to be dismantled and replaced in the coming days.
Drones were also used in the rescue operation. This was so that the security forces could get an overview of the situation on the crane. In addition to various police units, the fire brigade was also deployed with several vehicles and specialists. Height rescuers, two tank fire engines and jump rescuers were on site, as well as an emergency doctor and two ambulances.
