Crane Collapse at Samruddhi Expressway Construction Site in Maharashtra's Thane Claims 17 Workers' Lives

In a devastating incident early on Tuesday, 17 construction workers lost their lives and another 3 were seriously injured as a crane disastrously collapsed on a bridge slab during the third phase of the Samruddhi Expressway construction site in Maharashtra's Thane district.

Immediately following the accident, emergency response services were activated. Units from the local police, fire department, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were dispatched to the scene. The injured trio were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment. Nonetheless, officials have warned that the fatality count may yet increase.

Upon his arrival at the accident site on Tuesday morning, MSRDC Minister Dada Bhuse voiced, "There is a possibility of more people being trapped under the debris. The rescue operation is being carried out at the site,”

The Samruddhi Mahamarg is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur. The first phase was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in December 2022 and the second phase was inaugurated in May 2023.

Sood after the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims' families via Twitter. His tweet read, "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 being taken to ensure proper assistance to those affected.”

In addition, he tweeted, "An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,”