Metrorail pillar collapses on moving vehicle in India, 1 dead

A pillar under construction on the metrorail in Mumbai, India, collapsed on a moving vehicle. A heavy concrete part of the pillar suddenly fell on the busy road below in the Mulund area of ​​the city at around 12:30 pm on Saturday (February 14). One person was killed and three others were seriously injured.

Witnesses said that the pillar collapsed and fell on two vehicles. Among them, an auto-rickshaw was crushed under the weight of the concrete. The other vehicle was a private car. However, although the front part of the vehicle was damaged, no passengers lost their lives. Immediately after the incident, local residents rushed to the rescue operation to avoid loss of life and tried to pull out the bleeding passengers from inside.

Video footage from the scene showed a man trying hard to get out from under the rubble and being helped by locals. The front of a private car next to the autorickshaw was also completely flattened by the pile of cement that fell from above.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Authority said in a statement that a part of the under-construction pillar number 19 of the Metro line near Mulund Fire Station suddenly fell onto the road below. Members of the Mumbai Metropolitan Police and the Disaster Response Force carried out the rescue operation. The injured were quickly rescued and admitted to a nearby hospital, but according to doctors, their condition is very critical. A high-level investigation has already been started to check whether there was any negligence in the safety system of the pillar under construction.

After the accident, the work of the Metro project in the area has been temporarily suspended. Rescue workers are trying to secure the accident site so that no such pile of stones or cement falls again. After this incident, there has been intense anger and concern among the general public about the safety of the Metro rail construction on Mumbai's busiest roads. Local residents believe that such work, especially without a safety fence during busy hours, shows extreme negligence on the part of the construction authorities.

Times of India reports.