Eleven people died on Saturday when a crane collapsed, trapping them underneath, at a state-run shipyard in the southern Indian city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, a senior police officer said.
The incident at the Hindustan Shipyard Ltd site occurred when a new crane collapsed during a weight-bearing trial, Suresh Babu, a deputy commissioner of police, told Reuters.
Rescue workers were trying to cut the crane and remove its pieces, Babu said. He added that if anybody was trapped alive under the crane, they would only be found once it was lifted.
There was no immediate comment from Hindustan Shipyard. A company official said senior executives were in a meeting over the accident.
#WATCH A crane collapses at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. 10 dead and 1 injured in the incident, says DCP Suresh Babu. pic.twitter.com/BOuz1PdJu3
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2020
“Around 20 workers were said to be working on the inspection when the crane crashed. Some workers managed to run for safety, some others received injuries and at least 10 workers were crushed under the weight of the crane,” a police official had said earlier, reported Hindustan Times.
“The injured workers are being shifted to the local hospitals,” the official added.
Chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has directed Visakhapatnam’s district collector and police commissioner to take immediate action in the incident, news agency ANI cited the chief minister’s office as saying.
