During the third phase of the Samruddhi Expressway’s development, a crane toppled on a bridge slab, prompting fears that more individuals were buried under the rubble.
August 1st, Thane One additional corpse was recovered from the scene of the tragedy in Maharashtra’s Thane on Tuesday morning, bringing the total number of fatalities from the collapse of a girder launching machine to 17.
The crane fell on a bridge slab during the third phase of the Samruddhi Motorway construction in Shahpur in the Thane district, and a search and rescue effort is ongoing to rescue other persons who are believed to be trapped beneath the wreckage. Officials estimate that the incident occurred around 1:30 a.m.
A probe into the “unfortunate” occurrence has been requested by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde.
Shinde declared an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.
Shinde told reporters in Pune, “Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia will be given to the next of kin of the deceased.” This is a really bad occurrence. A Swiss firm was responsible for the construction. The inquiry into it has been instructed to be exhaustive. The National Disaster Response Force has arrived and issued rescue orders. Our minister and representatives from the relevant departments are now on the scene.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sorrow for the loss of life and promised that the families of the victims will get Rs 2 lakh (about $30,000) from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund as an ex-gratia payment.
Saddened by the terrible accident at Maharashtra’s Shahapur. My heart goes out to the loved ones of the victims. We are keeping the wounded in our hearts and prayers. The prime minister tweeted that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local authorities were at the scene of the accident, taking “all possible measures” to help the victims.
Also expressing sorrow for the tragedy was Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Fadnavis took to X, previously known as Twitter, to express his sadness over the loss of life among construction workers in Shahapur taluka. My deepest respects go out to him. We feel terrible for their loved ones. Three of the employees were hurt. The hospital is now providing care for them. I hope that God would bless them with a rapid recovery. I have requested that an investigation be conducted.
At the same time, a representative from the NDRF said, “Another corpse has been found. According to the authorities, “three injured people are being treated at Shivaji Hospital in Kalva, Thane.”
“We received the information about the incident at around 1:30 am,” said Sarang Kurve, Assistant Commandant of the National Disaster Response Force. The rescue mission began at 5:30 a.m. with the deployment of our first squad. Rescue efforts are still ongoing.
The official said that sniffer dogs have been sent to scour the debris of the fallen building for any signs of life.
Officials said they do not know how many individuals are still buried beneath the rubble.
“Six more people are feared to be trapped inside the collapsed structure,” the NDRF added in a previous statement.
Two NDRF teams are now conducting a search and rescue operation, according to officials.
The equipment was reportedly being utilised late at night by construction workers on Samruddhi Motorway Phase III.
According to preliminary accounts, 14 employees were killed and 3 were wounded. Witnesses said the event occurred at roughly 11:00 p.m. on Monday.
When the building gave way, we were on the opposite side of it. Approximately thirty persons were there at the time of the occurrence, one eyewitness said.
He added that several people had been injured in the head, neck, and legs while they were buried beneath the construction.
