20 crushed to death as girder launcher collapses in Thane

Mumbai, August 1

Twenty persons, including 10 labourers, were crushed to death and three others injured when a girder launcher collapsed during the construction of a viaduct for the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Tuesday.

The girder launcher along with a segment launcher (crane), weighing 700 tonne, came crashing down from a height of 35 metres, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said in a release.

The deceased included two engineers, said the MSRDC, the executing agency of the expressway project that links Nagpur with Mumbai.

The Thane police have registered a case against two contractors for allegedly causing death by negligence following the incident.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the incident in a tweet. A probe by experts has been ordered, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of lives and announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased and assistance of Rs 50,000 for the injured.