Workplace Health and Safety officers have launched an investigation into how a crane toppled into a building in South Brisbane as efforts continue to move it off the road.
Traffic on busy Grey Street is being diverted around the crane, which is on its side with part of its boom still resting in Griffith University's Queensland College of Art where it crashed through the facade earlier on Tuesday.
Dashcam shows crane collapse
Witnesses hear an "almighty smash" as a crane topples into a building at South Bank, narrowly missing motorists. 7 News Queensland
Police have diversions in place around the scene with traffic being moved on to Vulture Street and Tribune Street with the extraction of the crane expected to continue until the early hours of Wednesday morning.
In the meantime, officers from Workplace Health and Safety, who visited the scene when the incident happened, have launched an investigation to ascertain how it occurred.
One onlooker posted on Facebook that the crane had been involved in reglazing when the wind forced work to stop. A short time later the crane toppled over.
Earlier
A crane has collapsed at South Bank, blocking a street and damaging a nearby building.
The crane was at a work site on Grey Street when it toppled, blocking the street between Vulture Street and Tribune Street.
Emergency services freed the crane driver, who was trapped in the cab.
A Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said paramedics had assessed the driver and he appeared to be in a stable condition.
Photos of the incident showed the tip of the crane had knocked into the side of one of Griffith University's Queensland College of Art buildings.
Queensland College of Art school administrative officer Max Lloyd-West said it appeared the crane had only damaged the facade of the building.
"It has tipped over and crashed into our Queensland College of Art studio building," he said.
"It appears just to be the facade.
Hundreds evacuated after crane collapse
Two hundred staff and students are evacuated from a Griffith University building at South Bank after a crane crashed into it on Tuesday. 7 News Queensland
"The police have closed off the street and that part of the building has been evacuated."
Mr Lloyd-West said a large number of students had been around the area.
"We are in assessment week, there are plenty of students around as normal," he said.
Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O'Connor said the Grey Street Studios would remain closed for the remainder of the day and confirmed there were no injuries to staff or students.
"Working with the emergency services, we will make a full assessment of the damage to any services or the building structure and advise our staff and students as we have further updates," Professor O'Connor said.
The crane had fallen onto the roof directly on the plant room.
Fire crews were using a ladder platform from one of their trucks to remove the crane from the university building.
The crane was at a Watpac work site where development is under way to build the $140 million Southpoint Office Tower.
Watpac managing director Martin Monro said he believed the crane was being packed up when it fell and had been operated by an external third party working with a subcontractor.
"We are working closely with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to determine the cause of this incident," he said.
"Workplace Health and Safety Queensland have commenced investigations and taken control of the site while the clean-up occurs over the course of the afternoon and evening.
"There will be some traffic disruption while this clean-up is undertaken and the crane is removed from site.
"We apologise for this inconvenience."
Workplace Health and Safety officers were on site making inquiries.
With Nathanael Cooper