You've probably received forwarded WhatsApp messages or spotted pictures on social media of the crane incident along the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE).

Initial reports indicate that three people died and one has been seriously injured due to the accident.

Here's a breakdown of what happened.

What crashed?

According to a report released by a Fire and Rescue Department official, an emergency call was made to them at around 8.45am this morning (22 March).

When officials arrived, they noticed that a steel structure from a launching gantry (possibly about 120 feet above) had fallen onto the road and hit a Perodua Bezza.

A launching gantry, also known as a bridge-building crane, is a machine that is often used in bridge construction.

It is specifically used when putting together segmental bridges that use precast box girder bridge segments for highway and high-speed raid bridge construction projects.

You've been probably seen this all over the Klang Valley since, you know, there are constructions everywhere you look.

Who were the victims?

The initial report by the Fire And Rescue Department officials said that three people died and one person was seriously injured.

According to a report by Astro Awani, the three were foreign workers involved with the project.

The developers of SUKE, Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas), meanwhile, confirmed that the three were China workers attached to the project.

Two of them reportedly died after falling 120 feet to the road below. The third had fallen onto an elevated track at the construction site and was later confirmed dead.

The fourth victim who sustained serious injuries was the driver of the Perodua Bezza.

While no details have been released on the surviving victim, photos from the scene showed that he was a man.

What's the cause of the incident?

The developer, Prolintas, said that they were still investigating the cause of the incident.

"The incident happened when one of the components from the gantry crane fell but we are still investigating the cause," Prolintas said in a statement.

They added that the SUKE Emergency Response Team had been deployed to the scene and they were working together with the firefighters to close traffic lanes on both directions.

In the statement posted at 12.30pm, they said that rescue works were still ongoing.

What is the ministry saying?

In an immediate response to Bernama, Senior Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said that the road or lane must be closed to all traffic if a heavy structure needs to be removed.

He said that this was among many other strict standard operating procedures (SOP) set in place for contractors to keep the workers and public safe.

“In the implementation of such a project, if, for example, you want to move the gantry launcher, the road needs to be closed. Once the structure is safely [moved], only then [you] reopen the route,” he said.

This SOP was obviously not adhered to by the contractor.

Was this the first incident on SUKE?

According to a report by The Star, this is the second major incident involving the SUKE construction this year.

On March 3, five people were trapped in the van they were travelling in when a portion of a bridge under construction fell.

A trailer carrying heavy machinery had crashed into the bridge resulting in the incident.

Two women were killed while another three were seriously injured in the previous incident.

It was later confirmed that the trailer was a private vehicle and was not involved with the construction of the highway in any way.

The driver was also confirmed to be positive for drugs.

So basically, the last incident was just plain bad luck. The latest one, however, seems like it could have been avoided.

Our prayers go out to the surviving victim. We hope that he comes out of it without any major injuries.