Crane topples onto houses in Mumbai during demolition work; 10 injured

The incident took place near the site of an upcoming 17-storey building. The hydraulic crane was being used to lift a machine brought to the site when it tilted and fell towards an adjoining structure.

In Short

• Crane toppled in Kurla East, injuring ten including a 3-month-old baby
• Incident disrupted goods train movement on Kurla-Trombay route
• Crane struck railway wires, houses, road, and MHADA compound wall

Ten people, including a three-month-old baby, were injured after a crane toppled onto houses in Mumbai's Kurla East on Friday while preparations for demolition work were under way, officials said. The accident also disrupted goods train movement after part of the crane fell on railway overhead wires.

The incident took place around 3 am near the site of an upcoming 17-storey building in Indira Nagar. A hydraulic crane was being used to lift a machine brought to the site when it tilted and fell towards an adjoining structure.

According to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official, the crane struck a high-tension railway overhead wire, nearby houses in Qureshi Nagar, a road in Samrat Ashok Nagar and the compound wall of a MHADA building. Three to four cars parked inside the compound were also crushed.

The injured included a three-month-old baby and a 10-year-old boy.

Eight of the injured were admitted to the civic-run Sion Hospital, while two were taken to Bhabha Hospital in Kurla. Hospital authorities said all of them were in stable condition.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which was carrying out the work, said the crane tilted while being positioned at the site and fell towards an adjoining structure. It said the ground was soft, which appeared to have affected the crane's stability.

"While the crane was being positioned at the site, it tilted and fell towards an adjoining structure. The ground at the location was soft, which appears to have affected the stability of the crane," the MMRDA said in a statement.

The authority said preparations for demolition work were under way at Building No. 1, Bhandari Metallurgy, Kurla, and that the crane had been brought to the site for the operation. It said some people suffered "minor injuries" and that it was providing them with medical assistance and support.

Civic officials clarified that the work was not linked to MHADA, as reported earlier, but was being carried out by the MMRDA.

The MMRDA said it had deployed machinery and manpower to remove the fallen crane and that the site had been secured. The accident also disrupted goods movement on the single-line Kurla-Trombay route of the Central Railway after part of the crane damaged the overhead wires.

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