Three workers died after a scaffolding collapsed at a demolition site in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture April 7. The video shows the crane swaying violently with dust and water spraying up from its right side.

On April 8, police and firefighters gathered beneath the crane to search for a missing male worker using an underwater drone.

The drone was retrieved from the water around 3:30PM and firefighters carefully examined it.

The accident occurred in the evening on April 7, when scaffolding collapsed during the dismantling of a large crane.

NTV Reporter / We can see a hole. It looks like collapsed scaffolding, and there is a lot of debris scattered around the hole.

NTV　Reporter / Divers are searching underwater.

Five male workers were caught in the collapse. Three were confirmed dead, one was injured, and one remains missing, believed to have fallen into the sea.

There were witnesses on the opposite shore who saw the moment of the collapse.

This video from before the incident shows the scaffolding that had been erected for the demolition work.


A massive cylindrical counterweight can be seen positioned on top of the structure. Authorities believe this counterweight, weighing approximately 500 tons, fell and triggered the collapse.

According to investigators, the counterweight was supported at a height of about 30 meters. It measured roughly 6 meters in diameter and 9 meters in length, and was made of concrete.

The company responsible for the demolition says five workers were on top of the counterweight at the time, using heavy machinery to break it apart.


Investigators believe the counterweight fell during this process, creating a large hole and burying the machinery beneath the debris.

Police are continuing investigation, including the possibility of professional negligence resulting in death or injury.