THANE, India: At least 17 workers were crushed to death and three others sustained injuries at a construction site early Tuesday after a crane collapsed on a bridge slab in Maharashtra’s Thane district.
According to officials, the accident took place during the construction of the third phase of the Samruddhi Expressway. It happened around 12 am near Sarlambe village under the Shahapur tehsil, around 80 km from Mumbai.
The equipment that collapsed was a special-purpose mobile gantry crane used in bridge construction. The equipment is also used to install precast box girders in highway construction projects.
An inquiry has been ordered into the Shahapur accident, said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“The deaths of the workers are very sad and heart-wrenching. I pay my heartfelt tribute to them and we share in the grief of their families. Three workers were injured in the accident. They are undergoing treatment in a hospital. I pray to God for their speedy recovery,” Fadnavis said.
Soon after the accident, teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and fire brigade were deployed for rescue operations. The three injured workers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
MSRDC Minister, Dada Bhuse who visited the site of the accident Tuesday morning feared that there is a possibility of more people being trapped under the debris. The rescue operation was being carried out at the site till the filing of this report.
The officials feared that at least six more people are trapped under the debris.
The 701-km-long expressway connects Mumbai and Nagpur.
