Lift crashes in 40-storied building in Thane, 7 killed

Thane: At least 7 people were killed in a service lift crash in Maharashtra's Thane on Sunday evening, officials said.

According to the Thane Municipal Corporation and Disaster Management Centre officials, the incident took place around 5.35 p.m. in a 40-storied under-construction building named Runwal Irene in Balkum area, near Ghodbunder.

The deceased, the workers of the building, were descending in the service lift after completing some waterproofing works on the upper floors and the terrace of the skyrise.

Suddenly, a technical snag occurred midway through the ride down. The lift rope snapped and the lift hurtled down at high speed and crashed, killing six workers instantly and injuring one critically.

A team of the regional disaster management cell and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and pulled out the workers from the basement parking.

The injured Sunil Kumar Das (21) was immediately taken to a nearby government hospital but later succumbed to death. The other deceased were identified as Mahendra Chaupal (32), Rupeshkumar Das (21), Haroon Sheikh (47), Mithilesh (35), and Kalidas (38), while one remains unidentified.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased in the incident. “Shocking! The lift accident in Thane is very tragic. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased who lost their lives in this accident,” Fadnavis said in a post on social media platform, X.

Meanwhile, Dhruva Woollen Mills Pvt Ltd, in a statement said, "An unfortunate incident happened today at our under-construction site in Balkum Thane. The said elevator had been under continuous surveillance and is serviced under an existing annual maintenance contract”.

"The last proactive maintenance was done on August 23 where due oiling, servicing, lift room check-up, brake settings, car liner checking, and up-on limit switch checking were satisfactorily done by the vendor. The assessment report states good condition of the lift," it added.

The firm further said that it has been cooperating with the police and other authorities in the investigation process. "We have extended all rescue and support operations at the site and are investigating the incident at our end, as well, with our team of experts," the statement said.

A case has been registered against the contractor under Indian Penal Code sections 304(2) (rash and negligent act), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), said senior police inspector Uttam Sonawane from Kapurbawdi police station.

With inputs from agencies