A crane collapsed at a construction site in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, leaving one dead and three others injured.

The accident at a building site in the Raha Beach area happened just before 7am. Three people, all construction workers, sustained serious and moderate injuries as a result and were transferred to the Al Rahba and Mafraq hospitals nearby for treatment.

The man who died was a construction worker from Asia, said a spokesman for Abu Dhabi Police, which dispatched rapid intervention teams, ambulance patrols and the police on receipt of the call.

Witnesses reported hearing a large bang after a crane at the Raha Three development fell, leaving the arm of the structure hanging over a footpath that links housing developments in the area below. The cab appears to have come down with the arm of the crane.

The screams were horrific Gina Dillon, Al Zeina resident

“I was making toast when it happened. I raced outside because I thought maybe a plane had crashed,” said Gina Dillon, who lives in a villa in Al Zeina.

“Planes come right by my villa, so that was what I was expecting. When I came out I saw all the guys running and some were all on the ground.”

She said there were about 30 men at the site of the collapse, many of whom were screaming.

"There were about 30 workers and they were directly underneath where that crane was. It’s almost as if the bus had just dropped them off," said Ms Dillon.

“Oh my gosh the screams were horrific.”

An ambulance was on site within 10 minutes, she added.

Witnesses said investigators told them there were a number of casualties.

Fellow Al Zeina resident Jamie Ramsay saw the accident happen this morning as he was having coffee on his balcony in Block F.

“I called the police and then when I saw people continue to walk under the fallen crane I went down to stop people from doing so until police and security arrived,” he said.

Lt Col. Ibrahim Ali Jalal Al Baloushi, director of the Rapid Intervention Department at the Directorate of Emergency and Public Safety, called on construction agency owners and contracting companies to provide safety equipment at work sites and ensure the regular maintenance of cranes.

The contracting company, Hashim, has been contacted for comment.