10 injured as crane falls on railway wires in Mumbai’s Kurla

Ten people, including an infant and two minor boys, were injured after a 250-tonne hydraulic crane toppled at a demolition site in Mumbai's Kurla early Friday, damaging railway overhead equipment, slum huts, an MHADA compound wall and several vehicles. The incident occurred around 2.40am near Qureshi Nagar when the crane was being positioned for razing a ground-plus-16-storey dilapidated building. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the ground was soft, affecting stability, and that demolition work had not begun. Central Railway said the crane's boom struck high-tension wires on the single-line Kurla-Trombay goods section, passenger services were unaffected.

Chunabhati police registered an FIR against Delhi-based Total Construction Pvt Ltd, the demolition contractor, for alleged negligence. MMRDA imposed a Rs 25 lakh penalty on the firm and directed it to bear medical costs and compensate residents for damaged huts and vehicles. Times of India reports that the building, constructed by HDIL in 2005 under the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, was never occupied due to HDIL's bankruptcy and had been declared unfit for habitation in a 2021 structural audit. Of the 10 injured, nine were treated and discharged, Jagrulla Nabi Mohammed Khan (63) was admitted to Sion Hospital with head and leg injuries and is stable.

Residents reported losses: Mohammed Nazim Munna Shaikh said wedding jewellery, around Rs 1 lakh in dowry and Rs 35,000 cash were buried under debris. Aarti Gaud, who needed six stitches, said her family struggled to locate their three children after the accident. The incident is the latest in a series of MMRDA-related mishaps, the agency has imposed penalties totalling over Rs 20 crore on contractors and consultants for separate accidents in the past year.