India: Crane Collapses at Road Construction Site, 17 Killed

On Tuesday, at least 17 workers were killed, and three others injured, after a crane collapsed at a road construction site in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

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“Today an unfortunate incident happened at Shahpur Tehsil of Thane District on under construction Samruddhi Expressway in which one Crane fell on a Slab of a Bridge in which two teams of NDRF are working on the site,” India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said in an official statement.

Several reports state that two teams of the NDRF are present at the spot and search and rescue efforts are underway.

Moreover, the NDRF also stated that 17 bodies have been recovered from the spot. The three injured were moved to a nearby hospital.

Several people are feared to be trapped under the collapsed structure, NDRF said in a statement.

"Our search and rescue operation is still underway," said Sarang V Kurve, a senior official of the NDRF.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the deaths and announced monetary compensation for the victims' families.

The Samruddhi Expressway, connecting Mumbai with the city of Nagpur, is part of an expansive road infrastructure push in one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

As per the preliminary information, the crane collapsed from a height of 200 feet above the ground. It was being used to hoist the girder of the under-construction bridge.

The reasons for the fall of the machine could not be ascertained yet.