17 dead in crane accident at expressway construction site in Maharashtra’s Thane

By Vikrant Chauhan, Dipesh D. Tripathi: At least 17 people died and three were injured after the girder launcher machine, used in the construction of Phase III of the Samruddhi Express Highway, collapsed in Thane. The accident happened in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The construction of a bridge was underway near Sarlambe village in Thane when the accident happened. Apart from those dead, several others are feared trapped beneath the debris.

The crane and slab connecting the girder machine fell from a height of 100 feet, resulting in a major accident. The dead bodies were taken to a local hospital, along with those injured.

Maharashtra minister Ravindra Chavhan has said, "17 people died, in which there were six engineers and three people have been hospitalised. Soon an enquiry will be initiated and will try to find out why this accident happened."

Police personnel, NDRF personnel and fire officials are engaged in rescue and relief work. It is feared that the death toll may rise.

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The machine is used to install precast box girders in highway and high-speed rail bridge construction projects.

The Samruddhi Mahamarg, named Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur.

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