A crane being used in repairing earthquake damage to the main tower of the Washington National Cathedral toppled Wednesday, damaging two adjacent buildings at the historic place of worship.

The accident happened just as workers were putting the final touches on initial earthquake repairs, a project they had hoped to finish before services planned this weekend to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The extent of the damage is not yet clear, and cathedral officials could not say whether the memorial services, which President Barack Obama had planned to attend, will be forced to find a new venue. –BF

The Associated Press:

A spokeswoman for the cathedral told AFP that the crane fell over at around 10:55 am, crashing into two adjacent buildings: the church house, which is the headquarters of the Episcopal diocese, and the cathedral’s Herb Cottage, a popular gift shop on the church grounds.

There were no injuries in the accident, church officials said, and church officials could not provide an immediate estimate of the cost of the damage.

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