Sydney collapsed crane recovery to begin

Residents of a high-rise complex in Sydney's south are closer to returning home as crews prepare to dismantle the crane that smashed into the building.

Several mobile and other cranes were brought in on Tuesday to begin work to remove the crane, which smashed into a penthouse apartment of the building, crushing the balcony, on Sunday morning.

Work was completed underground to stabilise the crane so that the dismantling operation could get underway on Wednesday, a NSW Fire & Rescue spokesman told AAP on Tuesday.

The underground work is set to be completed by mid morning on Wednesday, with dismantling operations to start by contractor Probuild shortly after.

The recovery operation could take up to two days, then the electricity needs to be reinstalled before residents are allowed back into their homes.

All 160 residents of the near 10-storey apartment complex on Brodie Spark Drive were evacuated when the crane, which firefighters estimate is about 30 metres tall, toppled.