Cement concrete mixer overturns, operator dies

A cement mixer operator died after his truck fell into a caved-in road near a metro site in Mira Road; his helper survived. Investigation underway.

MUMBAI: A 25-year-old operator of a cement concrete mixer truck died on Wednesday night near a metro construction site at Mira Road after part of the road caved in. A team of the Kashimira police and the fire department carried out a rescue operation that lasted more than two hours.

Cement concrete mixer overturns, operator dies

According to the Kashimira police, the operator, Ashish Gyanadas Kumar hailing from Uttar Pradesh, drove to the metro construction site around 10pm to prepare plain cement concrete for an underground fire tank. He was reversing the vehicle near Hotel Amar Palace in Kashimira area when the weight of the vehicle caused the road near an excavated area to cave in and create a ditch, into which the dumper fell overturned.

Police said that Kumar was unable to escape the cabin and was crushed. After he was extricated, he was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Kumar’s helper, Indrajit Munna Lal, who was also trapped in the vehicle, survived, and is admitted in a nearby hospital.

“We have registered an accidental death report (ADR). We are investigating whether there is negligence involved leading to the operator’s death,” said Lalu Ture senior police inspector of the Kashimira police station.

Fire brigade officers from the municipal commission of Mira-Bhayander said that pillars for metro construction have been built deep in the ground. Due to the excavation work done for this, the ground under the road has become hollow. In addition, many main roads were built by constructing slabs on natural drains, increasing the frequency of road erosion by heavy vehicles. Three such incidents have been reported in various parts of Mira-Bhayander region, said a fire brigade officer.

A statement by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said that the driver misjudged the edge of the excavated pit made for the fire tank, causing the vehicle to lose balance and topple into the ditch.