Thane crane accident: ‘Many of our colleagues died waiting for help’

Most of the workers who died were from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Pic/Sameer Markande

Survivors of the girder launcher collapse on the Samruddhi E-way at Thane are in shock after losing many of their colleagues in the incident. Many labourers were from Bihar and had been working together for some time; in one case, a survivor lost his brother, uncle and nephew. Some have alleged that they did not have proper safety gear and many would have been alive if they had it.

Some have alleged that they received help hours after the incident. "I have been working on this project for more than a year, not a single mishap had taken place till now. Last night, I started duty as usual. The crane came crashing down and I sustained minor injuries on a leg," said Prem Prakash Gupta, one of the labourers injured in the accident.

Prem Prakash Gupta, one of the labourers who survived, says he has been unable to close his eyes since the accident as the sight of his colleagues lying dead keeps coming to mind. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

The work shift on the Samruddhi Highway began at 9 pm and the workers, engineers and other employees were preparing for Tuesday's work, when the crane collapsed. Of the 28 workers, four engineers and seven employees on the site, 20 were killed. Gupta, who is admitted in the Sub-district hospital, Shahapur told mid-day, "One moment we were all standing there, and the next moment my friends were dead. When the machine crashed, one part of it fell on my right leg. I am lucky to be alive."

‘We lived like a family'

Gupta broke down after seeing his colleagues. "We all lived like a family. Many of the workers are from Bihar. There were two-three workers beside me who lost their lives instantly. Their bodies were lying there. I haven't been able to close my eyes for even a minute since then, as that horrific sight comes to mind," he added.

Relatives and friends of the deceased outside the Sub-district Hospital, Shahapur

Ghanashyam Gupta, 36, lost his brother, uncle and nephew in the incident. Inconsolable, he said, "The last time we all went to our hometown was for Diwali. Now I will take their bodies. What will I tell their families? My uncle Surendra Kumar Paswan, 37, has three kids, my brother Pappu Kumar, 28, has two kids and nephew Lavkush Kumar, 28, has three kids. Nobody at the site had any safety gear. Had the authorities taken our safety seriously some lives could have been saved."

Villagers rushed to help

Arun Valate, 33, a farmer and resident of Sarlamba-Khutadi village, which is few metres from the spot, said, "Around 11.30 pm, we heard a loud thud as if an earthquake had struck. We also felt a major jolt. When I came out of my house, many of the villagers were already running towards the accident site. We saw two-three injured workers. Initially, we thought they were only injured, but then, one of them said many others were trapped inside and there could be from 20 or 22 of them. We were taken aback. We took those three persons to the Shahapur hospital but couldn't do much to help the others due to the heavy structure."

Relatives of the deceased being given letters about the compensation, after which they claimed the bodies. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

After information on the incident was relayed to higher authorities, a team of NDRF from Pune arrived at the spot. Lokesh Kumar, a relative of Lavkush Kumar, one of the deceased, said, "There was no help from the time of incident until 5 am. Many of our colleagues died waiting for help. Had there been any safety measures - helmets, etc. - most of them would have been alive today."

‘All security measures taken'

The construction at the site is being done by Navyuga Engineering Private Limited, which has sub-contracted work to VSL India Pvt Ltd. A representative of VSL said, "This is a terrible incident and never has such an accident happened in the company's history. We had followed all security measures, but this is something we never ever imagined."

Both the companies announced R5 lakh compensation to each of the deceased's families. But other workers and relatives of the deceased got into arguments with the company representatives. They demanded an undertaking from both the companies about the compensation on their letterheads with the amount. The letters for each deceased employee were brought to the Sub-district Hospital, Shahapur, at 4 pm and given to the relatives after which they claimed the bodies.