A 20-stories-tall crane collapsed Saturday afternoon at a construction site on Manhattan’s East Side. At least four New Yorkers died in the tragic incident according to officials present at the scene.

The tall crane actually fell over two buildings situated near the construction site. The exact place of the incident is 303 East 51st Street, near Second Avenue and the time of the collapse was about 2:20 p.m., authorities said.

The Office of Emergency Management informed Scott Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, that the collapse of the crane devastated one building at 305 East 50th Street and damaged another at 301 East 50th Street, The New York Times wrote on its Web site.

Initial reports show that, besides the four dead, the collapse also led to the injuring of several other people. Many victims may still be trapped under rubble. According to some sources, between four and eight people are trapped and waiting to be saved. Most of the victims appear to be workers.

Dozens of rescue teams, fire crews, police cars, ambulances and emergency work crews were immediately deployed at the scene of the collapse. The area was sealed off from traffic.

The scene of the collapse was witnessed by many. One of them was Greta Welkhammer, who at that time was passing by on her bicycle. Welkhammer told New York 1 Television that she saw the crane "literally split in half."

"I saw the crane crashing, splitting in half," she said. The building hit by the crane "fell like a house of cards."

"Everybody was running, running, it was devastating," she added.

Other locals and eyewitnesses said they heard a terrible roar as the construction crane detached from a building under construction.

"First I heard a rumble, and it increased, and then it increased. It continued building in strength until there was a final vroom! It shook the six-story brick building that I live in," said Bill Reilly, a local resident.

There were also reports of a strong smell of gas in the area.

The construction site at which the crane collapsed was an accident waiting to happen. At least nine “quite serious” violations of construction safety rules were breached there according to Stringer, who was quoted by ABC Radio.

“This is an absolute disgrace. We need better inspection and more resources,” said Mr. Stringer.