Maharashtra: 17 killed in Samruddhi Expressway crane collapse
At least 17 workers were crushed to death and three grievously injured after a girder machine fell on them during construction of the third phase of Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Tuesday (August 1), police said.
A few persons are still feared trapped and efforts are on to rescue them, an NDRF official said. Three persons were injured in the incident and they were being treated at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital at Kalva in Thane, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (August 1) condoled the loss of lives in the tragic accident at Shahapur in Maharashtra and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased and an assistance of ₹50,000 for the injured persons.
Pained by the tragic mishap in Shahapur, Maharashtra. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are injured. NDRF and local administration are working at the site of the mishap and all possible measures are…
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 1, 2023
Also read: 88 people killed in accidents on Samruddhi Expressway since December 2022: Maha official
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced an aid of ₹5 lakh for the families of each of the deceased. He said that the government will bear the expenses of treatment of the injured persons.
The machine is a special-purpose mobile gantry crane used in bridge construction. It is used to install precast box girders in highway and high-speed rail bridge construction projects.
Police said, the accident occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday near Sarlambe village in Shahpur tehsil.
#UPDATE | Maharashtra: Two NDRF teams are working at the site after a crane fell on the slab of a bridge in Shahapur tehsil of Thane district. Till now 14 dead bodies have been retrieved and 3 have been injured. Another six are feared to be trapped inside the collapsed… https://t.co/3QiIuUwoIP pic.twitter.com/tptIFDfAfb
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2023
Police, fire brigade and two NDRF teams are working to rescue trapped workers.
The Samruddhi Mahamarg, named Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur. It traverses 10 districts including Nagpur, Washim, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Amravati, Jalna, Nashik, and Thane.
Also read: Maharashtra: 6 dead in car accident on Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana
The construction of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is being carried out by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. The first phase, connecting Nagpur to the temple town of Shirdi, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2022. It covers a distance of 520 km. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said in May that the third and last phase would be completed by the end of December this year.
Also read: Maharashtra accident: 25 passengers charred to death as bus catches fire on Expressway
(With inputs from agencies)
