Body under crane to be recovered

The flats were evacuated after the crane collapse

A crane that collapsed onto a block of flats in south-west London is to be removed to recover the body of a man who was crushed under it, police said.

Michael Alexa, 23, died when he was hit by the 165ft (50m) crane as he washed his car in Battersea on Tuesday.

The crane driver, 37, employed by Norfolk-based Falcon Crane Hire, also died when he was thrown from the machine cab.

A post-mortem concluded that he died from multiple injuries, police said.

The site has been closed and the Health and Safety Executive is investigating.

Complex operation

Police said Mr Alexa's body had still not been recovered as officers were waiting for two more cranes to remove the wreckage.

The crane collapsed on a development. Picture Pablo Behrens

They said it was a complex technical operation.

Witnesses said Mr Alexa, a bus driver, was crushed when the jib of the crane became detached from the mast and crashed to the ground, also hitting a two-storey block of flats.

Residents, who live next to the site, described the collapse as similar to a bomb going off.

A number of residents said they had complained to the council earlier on Tuesday about the proximity of the crane to their homes, although Wandsworth Council could not confirm this.

Police said a joint investigation into the accident was under way.