This is the terrifying moment a row of homes and shops were reduced to rubble after two cranes hoisting a large section of bridge collapsed under the weight and toppled over.

One man was reportedly pulled out alive from the debris after the large cranes collapsed onto apartments and shops overlooking a canal in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, this afternoon.

Emergency services initially believed around 20 others were injured in the dramatic incident, but later confirmed no other people were hurt. A dog was, however, found dead at the scene.

Terrifying moment TWO cranes collapse on houses in Netherlands
One man was reportedly pulled out alive from the debris after two large cranes carrying a section of bridge collapsed onto apartments and shops overlooking a canal in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, this afternoon

One man was reportedly pulled out alive from the debris after two large cranes carrying a section of bridge collapsed onto apartments and shops overlooking a canal in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, this afternoon

The cranes were hoisting the bridge section into place when they gave way under the weight and hit the houses

Rescuers stayed at the site until 11pm before calling off the search after confirming there we no other victims

Dramatic footage of the incident showed the two towering cranes carrying a piece of tarmac before it started to swing out of control.

The cranes then appeared to buckle under the weight of the bridge segment and toppled over onto a nearby row of buildings, slamming through them and sending a cloud of dust into the air.

The section of bridge they had been carrying also landed on the buildings, which were practically flattened by the incident.

Rescue workers with sniffer dogs stayed at the site searching for people trapped underneath the rubble until 11pm, before calling off the search.

Initially, firefighters had said that about 20 people had been wounded, a figure they later retracted.

Local authorities later said there were no victims in the incident, but local media reported that one man had been plucked from the rubble complaining of hip pain.

'While we did not dare hope it when we saw the footage, at this point it seems there are no casualties,' Mayor Liesbeth Spies said in a statement.

Ton Koot - a spokesman for the central Holland fire service – said he believed a man had been pulled from the wreckage and had been taken to hospital with hip injuries.

He added: 'Two cranes and the stretch of roadway they were carrying fell on five houses in all.'

The cranes, working from barges, were renovating the Queen Juliana Bridge - a canal bridge dating from the 1950s - when the first crane toppled over.

Unbalanced by the extra load, the second crane then fell.

Dramatic footage of the incident in Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland, shows two towering orange cranes carrying a piece of tarmac before it begins to swing out of control, and then topples onto the nearby buildings

Two towering orange cranes carrying a piece of bridge began to swing out of control, before the cranes appeared to buckle under the weight of the load - causing the whole lot to topple over onto shops and houses

The cranes and a section of bridge they had been carrying landed on the buildings, many of which were homes

One man was pulled alive from the rubble in Alphen aan den Rijn and rescuers, including sniffer dogs, are due to work deep into the night combing the scene for any other victims who might have been trapped underneath

Dutch TV channel NOS said the cranes fell on a second-hand clothing store and another shop selling art and drawing supplies, but it remains unclear how many houses they also hit.

Witness Dick van Smirren, who filmed the incident, said he saw the moment the bridge deck - being carried by the cranes - began to move, before swinging and pulling the cranes onto the houses.

He said: 'You see the cloud of dust rise - that is a terrible image and you think, 'Who is under there?' You can't believe what you see.'

Police urged people to stay away from the scene in the aftermath of the incident, in a bid to allow emergency workers to carry out any potential rescues and make the buildings stable.

Dutch prosecutors have now opened an investigation into the accident and three people have voluntarily presented themselves to a local police station in connection with the probe, Dutch news agency ANP reported.

A security perimeter has been set up around the site, leaving the residents of 51 houses unable to sleep in their homes tonight.

Local authorities were urging people to stay away from the scene to allow rescuers to carry out their work

The Dutch Safety Board, which investigates serious accidents, said it was planning to send a team to the site


The Dutch Safety Board, which investigates serious accidents, said it was planning to send a team to the site

The two large cranes, working from barges, were renovating the Queen Juliana Bridge - a canal bridge dating from the 1950s - when the first crane toppled over. Unbalanced by the extra load, the second crane then fell

The two large cranes, working from barges, were renovating the Queen Juliana Bridge - a canal bridge dating from the 1950s - when the first crane toppled over. Unbalanced by the extra load, the second crane then fell

Mayor Spies described it as a 'terrible accident', adding: 'There is a lot of material damage.'

The bridge, over the Old Rhine river, was being renovated after surveys in 2010 had shown that its steel superstructure was in poor condition.

The renovation, which began in the spring, was expected to last the whole summer.

The accident took place as the vast steel ramp that forms the central span of the swing bridge was lowered into place.

The drama was captured in amateur footage shot by a local resident who was following the progress of the bridge works from his balcony.

The Dutch Safety Board, which investigates serious accidents, said it had sent a team to the scene.