Labourer killed, 6 hurt in Goregaon slab collapse

A 63-year-old labourer was killed and six of his colleagues were injured during a slab collapse at Bharat Industrial Estate in Goregaon (East) on Friday evening. Following the incident, the Vanrai police registered a case of negligence against three people.

Repair work was going on at units 1 and 2 on the first floor of the industrial estate in Goregaon's Bamanwadi. Debris from the work had been put in a balcony next to the units. "The balcony could not take the weight after a point and one of its slabs collapsed on the roof of unit 1, which was made of tin," said an officer from Vanrai police station. "There was a group of labourers working inside unit 1; all were crushed."

Residents from the area took them to Balasaheb Thackeray hospital in Jogeshwari. One of the workers, identfied as Sudam Gangavne, was pronounced dead after admission. He had injuries to his left shoulder and the back of his head. The other victims were identified as Lalji Yadav (42), Dattatreya Mokal (47), Jaffar Khan (43), Pappu Yadav (34), Bhagwan Jadhav (62), and Shabinath Yadav (60). They have all been admitted to hospital and are recovering.

"An FIR has been registered under section 304 (A) of the IPC against the site supervisors and owners of both units. We will make the arrest soon," said senior inspector Chandrakant Gurav. The police said insufficient precautionary measures were taken and the labourers were not provided with safety gear.