Three killed as crane overturns on Noida airport-Faridabad flyover
Three labourers were killed and several others were feared trapped after a construction crane overturned at Panhera Khurd village on Thursday afternoon. The crane was operating on an under-construction flyover designed to link the Noida International Airport in Jewar to Faridabad.
The accident occurred at approximately 3:00 PM, triggering a massive rescue operation. According to the Faridabad Police, the heavy crane lost its balance and crashed directly onto a container where several labourers were working.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ballabhgarh) Pratik Aggarwal stated that local police received information about the incident around 4:00 PM. Emergency and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the construction site.
"Our team received the information around 4 pm, and immediately reached the spot with rescue teams," Aggarwal said. "A crane fell on the container inside which the labourers were working. Unfortunately, the impact was such that the entry inside the container became a challenge. We are trying to get the front and back of the container cut so we can rescue all those trapped soon."
By 10:30 PM on Thursday, rescue operators had pulled only one worker out of the container alive. Three bodies of deceased labourers were recovered from the debris.
Authorities suspect that adverse weather conditions played a major role in the fatal accident. Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that heavy rainfall during the day had made the construction site extremely muddy and slippery, which may have caused the crane to lose its footing and crash.
The rescue effort drew multiple agencies to Panhera Khurd village. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) worked alongside representatives from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and local police personnel to clear the wreckage and reach the trapped workers.
A spokesperson for the Faridabad Police stated that a further probe is currently underway to investigate and establish the exact cause of the crane collapse.
