Two workers were killed and three others were injured after an accident at a construction site for a 51-story building near Tokyo Station on Tuesday.
One of the injured workers was unconscious, according to the authorities.
The workers were caught up in the incident when steel beams fell from the seventh floor to the third floor of the site in Yaesu, Chuo Ward, at 9:20 a.m., according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.
Four workers fell along with multiple beams weighing a combined total of over 10 tons, while the fifth was injured while working on the third floor. The workers are believed to be in their 20s through their 40s.
At the site, in a bustling area near the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station that is home to many offices, police were still surrounding the area two hours after the incident.
Chie Matsutani, a woman in her 60s, said she was at a clinic in a nearby building when she felt the building shake.
“It was scary. It made me think I’d have to be careful about where I walk. My heart wouldn’t stop beating (so fast),” Matsutani said.
The building under construction is part of a joint venture between Obayashi Corp. and Taisei Corp. on a redevelopment project that began in 2021 and is set to be completed in 2025.
According to the developers, the building will feature office floors, conference facilities for international meetings, theaters for hosting plays and concerts, medical facilities equipped to offer services in foreign languages as well as retail spaces and a large-scale terminal for highway buses.