4 engineers among 20 killed as 2k-tonne launcher & girder collapse at e-way project site in Thane | India News – Times of India

KALYAN: Twenty people, including four engineers, died and three others were injured after a launcher and girder collapsed from a height of 115 ft during construction work on the third phase of the Samruddhi Expressway late night on Monday. The accident occurred near Sarlambe village under Shahapur tehsil, around 80km from Mumbai.

The launcher was a special equipment used in bridge construction and to install precast box girders in highway construction projects. PM Narendra Modi condoled the incident in a tweet while CM Eknath Shinde has promised an investigation.
Work on constructing a 2.2km viaduct of the Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg was in progress at Saralambe village near Shahapur through EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor Navyuga Engineering Co Ltd. It had appointed VSL India of Singapore to launch the viaduct segments using automatic launchers. The incident occurred when 28 personnel, including four engineers, seven staff workers and 17 labourers, were at the site when a concrete section between piers 15 and 16 and the launching gantry crane standing on it collapsed. The police said some were stuck below the girder while others were trapped below the launcher. Shahapur police have filed an FIR under section 304 of the IPC against unidentified persons and have begun a probe.

Compensation totalling Rs 17 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased has been declared. It includes Rs 2 lakh ex gratia by the Centre (from the PMNRF, as announced by the PM) and Rs 5 lakh by the state government. Another Rs 5 lakh will be given by VSL India Ltd who is the sub-contractor carrying out work, and Rs 5 lakh by main contractor Navyuga Engineering company. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 each.
Villagers who reside in the vicinity were among the first to hear machinery collapsing and reached the site to rescue the victims before police and fire brigade teams reached the spot around 2am. The local Shahapur police as well as rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force and 33 members of the Thane Disaster Response Force joined operations at 7am. The rescue operation went on till 5.30pm on Tuesday, when the last three bodies were found.
PM Modi tweeted: “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.”
Chief minister Eknath Shinde who reached the spot described the project as “difficult technical work” in which a 700-ton launcher and a 1,250-ton girder were deployed. Shinde said, “We will investigate how the girder fell. The work of installing the girder is done by VSL India, which is a Switzerland-based company. They have technical centres in Singapore and Chennai. The company will also investigate how this incident happened.” Public works minister Ravindra Chavan who visited the spot did not rule out the possibility of an error and said an inquiry by experts would ascertain how the mishap occurred.
He said, “MSRDC officials have been warned to ensure that such incidents do not happen in future.” At least two people suffered leg fractures and are undergoing treatment at Jupiter Hospital, Thane. One of the victims, Prem Prakash (33), only suffered minor injuries on his leg. Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased were reaching hospitals to claim bodies.