Two workers were killed and three others injured after a tower crane toppled at an MHADA construction site in Nagpur’s Ganeshpeth area on Friday, prompting rescue operations and a preliminary police inquiry into the collapse.
According to preliminary information from Ganeshpeth police, the accident occurred while construction work was under way at the MHADA colony site. The nearly 100-foot-tall crane was reportedly being raised when its upper section collided with another crane at the site. The impact caused the structure to collapse, throwing workers from a considerable height.
The crane operator and a labourer working on top of the crane died in the accident. Three other workers were injured and taken to a private hospital for treatment. Police said their condition was stable, although details about the nature and severity of their injuries were still awaited when the report was filed.
Another worker became trapped in the upper section of the crane after the collapse. Fire department personnel reached the site after receiving information about the accident and rescued the worker. Police and fire personnel continued rescue and assessment work at the MHADA construction site.
The sequence of events and the number of injured workers were not fully consistent in preliminary accounts. Police said the exact cause of the collapse had not yet been established. The reported collision between the cranes was part of the preliminary account, rather than a final determination of responsibility or the failure that caused the structure to fall.
The incident brings immediate scrutiny to safety controls at an active urban construction site, including the coordination of lifting and height-adjustment work involving large cranes. The available report does not establish whether equipment failure, operating procedures, site coordination or any other factor contributed to the collapse. Those questions remained subject to the inquiry.
Ganeshpeth police were conducting a panchnama at the site, a formal process used to document the circumstances and physical evidence surrounding an incident. No offence had been registered when the report was filed. Further action was expected after the preliminary inquiry.
