Workers crushed to death as crane collapses at India road construction site

The accident in the Thane region of Maharashtra state killed five engineers and 12 labourers.

At least 17 workers have been crushed to death in western India when a giant crane collapsed at a highway construction site, according to police.

The accident took place on the Samruddhi Expressway in the Thane region of Maharashtra state early on Tuesday.

A crane used to lift and place girders collapsed, killing people working at the site where an overbridge was being built, an official at the Thane police control room said. Five of the people killed were engineers, while the rest were labourers.

Teams of rescue workers from the National Disaster Response Force, the fire department and police rushed to the site, using cranes to remove debris and rescue trapped people.

Three injured people were being treated in hospital, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

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

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a message on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Pained by the tragic mishap in Shahapur, Maharashtra,” the prime minister’s office said in a post. “My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.”

The government said it would provide relief assistance of 200,000 rupees ($2,432) for the families of the dead and 50,000 rupees ($608) for the injured.