Construction accident causes destruction in Netherlands

Two big cranes hoisting a section of a bridge in a western Dutch city collpased onto a row of buildings on Monday, causing severe damange but no deaths, mayor Liesbeth Spies said Monday night.

At least four houses and two shops were heavily damaged and only one man was reportedly wounded when the accident occurred in Alphen aan den Rijn. The search for possible victims stopped on Monday night at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT). No one was missing.

"Although we hardly dared to believe it when we saw the pictures, the conclusion at this point seems to be that there are no deaths," Spies said at a press conference at the town hall.

"That does not mean we're done," she added. "There is a lot of material damage, pain and discomfort because some people cannot go home or witnessed this terrible accident. The next few days there is still much work to do."

Three persons have been identified as suspects in connection with the accident, said chief prosecutor Kitty Nooy at the same press conference.

The suspects have reported themselves to police, but their identity and role in the accident remained undisclosed.

"It's still too early to say whether there are any offenses committed," said Nooy. Endi