Photo taken on May 30, 2008, shows the site where two 600-ton gantry cranes toppled during their lifting operations in Shanghai, east China. Three people were killed and two injured after the cranes toppled at 0:25 Friday morning. (Xinhua/Pei Xin) Photo Gallery>>>

    SHANGHAI, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and two were injured when two gantry cranes collapsed here shortly after midnight, company and government officials said Friday.

    Two gantry cranes, owned by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd, collapsed at about 0:25 a.m. at a work site in the Pudong New Area, when they were lifting goods, the municipal work safety regulator said.

    Three workers in the cranes' cabs, which were more than 10 meters above the ground, were killed at the scene. Two security guards on the ground were injured, one critically, and both were sent to Shanghai East Hospital.

    An initial investigation showed one leg of the cranes suddenly broke, leading to the collapse, said a Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding employee, but the exact cause of the incident was still under investigation.

    Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding is a large enterprise under the China State Shipbuilding Corp., a leading ship builder.