A major construction mishap briefly disrupted traffic in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) early Wednesday (15 April) morning after a heavy-duty crane involved in Metro work collapsed at the site.
No injuries were reported, though the incident caused congestion in one of the city's busiest commercial hubs.
The accident occurred at around 4:30 am during ongoing work on the Metro Line 2B station in BKC.
According to authorities, the crane was engaged in lifting a pre-cast beam when the equipment malfunctioned, leading to the collapse. A beam being handled at the time also shifted and tilted as a result.
"A mobile crane weighing approximately 400 tons toppled near the Asian Heart Hospital junction due to some mechanical failure while lifting a pre-cast beam," the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said in a post on X.
Initial findings suggest a technical fault triggered the incident. "As per our initial investigation, there was a gear failure in the lifting boom of one crane. After the failure, the load shifted to another crane, which caused it to tilt. The road will be reopened for traffic within 3-4 hours," an official was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
Authorities quickly diverted traffic and began efforts to clear the site. "A 600-ton capacity crane is being deployed to safely remove this toppled crane. Our team is continuously working to minimize inconvenience to citizens," the MMRDA added.
Officials noted that limited space due to simultaneous infrastructure projects, including the nearby bullet train station, meant cranes had to be stationed on the roadway, increasing operational complexity.
The affected stretch was expected to be cleared within a few hours. Metro Line 2B, connecting Andheri West to Mandale, is being developed in phases, with a section between Mandale and Chembur recently opened to the public.
Please click here to add Swarajya as your preferred and trusted news source on Google