On Sunday, September 10 evening, the elevator of a 40-story building in Thane’s Balkum district crashed into the underground 3-story basement.
The death toll in the Thane lift collapse tragedy has risen to seven, according to Thane Municipal Corporation on Monday, September 11, 2023. Mahendra Chaupal (32), Rupesh Kumar Das (21), Haroon Shaikh (47), Mithlesh (35), Karidas (38) and Sunil Kumar Das (21) have been identified as the deceased.
According to Thane Municipal Corporation officials, “there were seven labourers aboard the lift who were all declared deceased”. According to police, “the seventh victim has yet to be identified”
Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has conveyed his sympathies to the families of those killed in the event.
“Shocking! The Thane lift disaster is sad. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who died in this catastrophe. “Wishing the injured a speedy recovery,” Mr. Fadnavis stated in a post on the social networking platform X.
In this mishap, two personnel were critically injured and were immediately sent to a nearby private hospital. As soon as the event was reported, police and fire department officers arrived on the scene, and the police are continuing to investigate.
“Waterproofing work was underway on the roof of the recently finished 40-story building, Runwal Ireen, near Narayani School in Balkum”, according to primary information.
The disaster occurred when the lift rope snapped while the workers were descending after finishing their task. “The unfortunate incident occurred at the site of Dhruva Woollen Mills Private Limited in Thane at 6.15 pm today,” said a Dhruva Woollen Mills spokesperson. Workers were descending from the 40th floor when the lift crashed from the 13th floor. The aforementioned lift was under constant supervision and was covered by an annual maintenance contract with the lift servicing vendor. Last month’s maintenance was completed on August 23rd, where it was due.
The vendor performed satisfactory oiling, service, lift room check-up, brake settings, car liner checking, and up-on limit switch checking on August 23 last month. We are assisting the Police Department in the investigation. We quickly expanded all rescue and support activities on the scene and are examining the occurrence with our team of experts.”
“Normally passenger lifts installed at a construction site are not of high quality, and usage of this lift is not only for passengers but also for lifting material, lift is always checked for brake, gear box, oiling & greasing but never check for load capacity which is most important for such lift”, someone commented.
According to Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) officials, the building was finished and the roof was being waterproofed. The catastrophe occurred approximately 6.15 p.m., when the employees were exiting the lift after finishing the waterproofing. Following the incident, the fire department, disaster management team, and police hurried to the scene.
“The rope of the lift broke on the 16th floor when the workers were descending, resulting in the lift crashing into the basement of the underground parking lot,” stated RDMC chief officer Yasin Tadavi. The rescue squad extricated seven trapped workers from the debris. Six of them have perished, and one is in serious condition at the Nipun multispecialty hospital in Panch Pakhadi.”
Police officers from Kapurbawdi were on the scene of the accident. According to S Nimbalkar, a police inspector, the initial investigation has been finished and an accidental death report (ADR) has been filed in the case. “The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination,” he stated. “Their families have been notified but have yet to be reached.” The preliminary investigation indicated that there was negligence after the lift fell from the 40th level, killing individuals. The investigation is underway, and those involved will be charged.”
However, according to a statement issued by Dhruva Woollen Mills Pvt Ltd, “the project promoter and a subsidiary of the Runwal Group, the lift fell on the 13th level. An unfortunate incident occurred today at 6.15 p.m. on our under-construction site in Balkum Thane.”
According to the statement, “a lift carrying seven workers from the 40th floor suddenly collapsed from the 13th floor.” “The aforementioned lift has been continuously monitored and is serviced under an existing annual maintenance contract.” The vendor completed the last proactive maintenance on August 23rd, which included oiling, servicing, lift room check-up, brake settings, car liner checking, and up-on limit switch checking. The lift is in good shape”, according to the assessment report.
“We are cooperating with the police and other departments in the investigation proceedings,” the statement continued. We have extended all rescue and assistance efforts at the site and are examining the occurrence with our experienced team.”
Local citizen and MNS leader Sanjay Bhoir, who visited the site, said it was distressing to see the workers’ remains. “I saw the lift certificate, which was given just two days ago, vouching for its good condition,” he explained. “If the lift crashes two days later, it calls into question the certification itself.” There has to be some negligence in this scenario.”
According to the MahaRERA portal, “Runwal Eirene is a major residential project with four structures approved up to the 42nd story and seven buildings with 36 stories. The project’s original completion date of October 2021 has been pushed back to June 30, 2025”.
In recent months, there has been a rash of elevator collapses in Mumbai. In June of this year, a passenger elevator at Lower Parel’s Trade World skyscraper collapsed in a 16-story commercial structure in the Kamala Mills site, injuring 12 people. A car parking elevator fell from the 11th level of a 21-story residential structure in Zaveri Bazaar, South Mumbai, last month, but no one was injured.