Mumbai piling rig collapse kills police constable on Sion Panvel Highway flyover site

A police constable, Santosh Gopal Chavan, died after a piling rig collapsed at an under-construction flyover site on Mumbai’s Sion Panvel Highway in Mankhurd. Officials said preliminary findings indicate the equipment may have been placed on unstable soil. The incident led to significant traffic disruption across parts of the eastern suburbs.

A police constable died after a piling rig fell at an under-construction flyover site in Mumbai, officials said on Wednesday. The incident also led to major traffic delays across the eastern suburbs. Police said the equipment collapsed on the Sion-Panvel Highway in the Mankhurd area while construction work was underway.

Officials said the crash took place on Tuesday night on the northbound carriageway. Santosh Gopal Chavan was travelling home on a motorcycle at the time. Police said the rig, used to drill foundation piles, toppled and hit Chavan near the work zone.

Mumbai flyover accident killed Santosh Gopal Chavan

An official from Mankhurd police station said Chavan sustained critical injuries in the impact. Chavan was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Doctors declared Chavan dead after arrival, the official said. Police said Chavan was attached to Nehru Nagar police station.

Officials also said Chavan was on deputation to the east control room in Chembur. Investigators were checking how the construction activity was managed at the location. Preliminary findings indicated the machine may have been placed on unstable soil. Officials said this could have caused the piling rig to collapse.

Mumbai flyover accident triggered traffic snarl on Sion-Panvel Highway

The accident caused long queues and slow traffic through several parts of the eastern suburbs, officials said. The congestion also affected the Eastern Expressway, an official added. Movement was slow at Mankhurd new bridge on the north bound due to a crane accident, Mumbai Traffic Police tweeted on their social media handle.

Police said legal steps were being started after the death. Mankhurd police were registering a case against the contractor for alleged negligence, officials said. Officers were examining the role of contractors and site supervisors. Police were also checking whether required safety rules were followed at the site.

Mumbai flyover accident came after other Mumbai construction incidents

The death followed other recent construction-related incidents in Mumbai, officials noted. On April 15, a mobile crane toppled during Metro construction in the Bandra-Kurla Complex. No injury was reported in that case. Earlier in February, one person died and three were hurt after a girder bridge slab fell in Mulund.

Officials said the investigation into the Mumbai flyover accident was continuing. Police were focusing on why the piling rig lost stability at the Mankhurd work site. Authorities said the case against the contractor would proceed as details were verified. The incident also kept traffic slow until movement was managed on the northbound stretch.

With inputs from PTI