A section of the collapsed crane is winched down

THE first 100ft section of crane was finally lifted off a crushed city centre roof top.

Work removing the huge structure had struggled to get off the ground because of high winds on Thursday.

But a five-strong team of salvage experts and a fireman were winched into position and started slicing through the lattice frame.

Workmen suspended in a metal basket used a blowtorch to cut through the metal – but each time winds creep higher than six metres per second, it becomes too dangerous for them to be hoisted in the air.

Because the roof of the Baltic Triangle flats is littered with flammable material, a fire fighter was also constantly dousing the sparks with water.

The tower crane crashed into blocks 24 and 26 Cornhill on Monday.

Its driver was thrown from his cab and is still in hospital with serious head, neck and leg injuries.

Occupants of around 130 apartments also remain locked out of their homes.

They have complained about how the aftermath of the disaster is being handled by the authorities and were struggling to get accurate information about their situation.