01 August,2023 12:38 PM IST | Thane | Ranjeet Jadhav
The accident took place in the wee hours on Tuesday near Sarlambe village in Shahpur tehsil, around 80 km from Mumbai
While the tragic mishap that took place at the under-construction Samruddhi highway site near Shahpur has claimed the lives of 17 people and left several others injured, the preliminary investigation by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has revealed that the crane accident in Thane occurred while the launching girder was being moved in preparation for the next day. The crane (segment launcher) carrying the completed girder dropped from a height of 35 meters (equivalent to a six-storey building).
The 600 km stretch of the 701 km long Nagpur Mumbai Samruddhi Highway has been completed and is now open to traffic.
According to a press statement issued to the media, "The remaining work of 101 km in Nashik and Thane districts is in progress. The construction of a 2.28 km long bridge was underway in Shahapur taluka, employing modern technology. The contractor, Navayuga Engineering Company, had subcontracted the work to S. L India Pvt. Ltd. Singapore, a leading company in the world. Only 3 to 4 such companies exist worldwide. The automatic launcher, weighing 700 metric tonnes, was being used for this project."
MSRDC officials confirmed that the company had successfully completed the construction of 28 out of the total 114 blocks using this automatic launcher.
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"However, on 31st July 2023 at 11.30 pm, while the launching girder was being moved in preparation for the next day, the crane (segment launcher) with the completed girder dropped from a height of 35 meters, between pier 15-16. A total of 28 people, including 17 workers, 4 engineers, and 7 employees, were present at the site," the MSRDC press statement said.
Among them, 17 people, including 10 workers, 2 engineers, and 5 employees, tragically lost their lives, while 3 others were seriously injured in this unfortunate accident. Two of the injured have been admitted to Jupiter Hospital, and one to Shahapur Government Hospital.
Rescue efforts are underway on a war footing as there are concerns that some workers might be trapped under the wreckage of the automatic launcher.
(This is a developing story, and will be updated as and when more inputs are received)
