Crane drops barge onto boat in Boston Harbor after strap breaks - Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (WHDH) - A crane in East Boston dropped a piece of a barge onto a boat in Boston Harbor Thursday after a strap holding it broke, officials said.

The crane was placing the barge into the water at a shipyard on Marginal Street when the strap gave way. No injuries were reported, according to the Boston Fire Department.

"There was a pier that was being moved from the ground into the water. It was very heavy. The crane that was moving it, one of the supports on the crane let go, and the whole pier fell into the ocean," said Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke. "It crushed a boat in the marina and we're trying to get another crane in."

Crews were waiting to bring in a secondary crane to stabilize the first one and to lift the barge.

"The pier did do damage to the crane that was lifting it, so that crane is not functional now to put it back in the location they need it to be in," Burke said.

Dive teams were on scene Thursday to make sure no one was in the water after the incident. The U.S. Coast Guard also responded.

One passerby was shocked to see the wreckage.

"Amazement. You would think they would use newer straps to hold the dock up, you know?" he said.