Crane topples during Metro construction work in Mumbai; traffic hit

MUMBAI: A heavy crane engaged in Metro construction work toppled at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai early on Wednesday, officials said.

No casualties were reported, they said. The incident, however, led to traffic snarls in one of Mumbai's busiest business districts.

Traffic was diverted and efforts were underway to restore normal movement at the earliest, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said.

The incident occurred around 4.30 am during the construction of the BKC Metro Line 2B station. While the crane toppled, a pre-cast beam also tilted during the incident, a MMRDA official said.

"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 MMRDA said in a post on X.

This incident took place during the night work of the Metro Line through the contractor company J. Kumar Infraprojects Limited. No loss of life or injuries occurred in this incident, it said.

"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 said.

"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 said.

Due to space constraints from the ongoing bullet train station project at BKC, both cranes involved in lifting beams were stationed on the road, the official said.

Clearance of the site is likely within three to four hours, officials said.

Metro Line 2B between Andheri West and Mandale is being constructed in phases. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the first phase between Mandale and Chembur.