Crane collapse in India claims 17 lives

A tragic incident Tuesday occurred in western India where a crane slumped on an under-construction expressway near the Indian city of Mumbai in the Maharashtra state, claiming the lives of 17 workers.

The crane collapsed on large concrete slabs while the labourers were still working on the Samruddhi Expressway.

The National Disaster Response Force (NRDF) of the country reported recovering 17 dead bodies and shifting three injured individuals to the hospital.

An NRDF video clip showed rescuers working through piles of mangled steel girders at the construction site in Thane, in the suburbs of Mumbai.

"The deaths of the workers are very sad and heart-wrenching. I pay my heartfelt tribute to them and we share in the grief of their families. Three workers were injured in the accident. They are undergoing treatment in a hospital. I pray to God for their speedy recovery,” said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as reported in the Indian Express.

He added that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to inaugurate infrastructure projects in Maharashtra on Tuesday, said he was "pained" by the deaths and ordered compensation be paid to the families of the dead and injured workers.

Accidents on large infrastructure construction sites are common in India.

In October last year, 130 people died in Gujarat when a bridge collapsed soon after it was repaired.

In 2016, the collapse of a flyover onto a busy street in Kolkata killed at least 26 people.

— Additional input from AFP