400-tonne crane topples in Bandra Kurla Complex, contractor J Kumar fined Rs 1 crore

The lifting boom of the second crane then began to tilt downwards, with the crane toppling over, only stopping when the boom rested on beams already in place on the station’s piers. Officials on site said that as the toppling happened gradually and not suddenly, the damage was minimal.

Basavraj M Bhadragond, director (projects) for metros at MMRDA, said the beam was suspended midair when the lifting boom of one crane failed, transferring the entire load onto the secondary boom of the second crane, both of which were supporting the beam’s weight. “Unable to withstand the sudden pressure, the crane lost balance and toppled,” he said.

Officials attributed the mishap partly to space constraints at the site, which is flanked by ongoing work on the BKC bullet train station on one side and existing buildings on the other, restricting the crane’s turning radius. The station segment under construction pertains to the IL&FS station, with J Kumar as the contractor.

Later in the day, the MMRDA said J Kumar had been fined Rs 1 crore for the mishap. A detailed investigation will be conducted.

To remove the wreckage and restore traffic, a 600-tonne crane has been mobilised to lift the fallen equipment. Authorities said efforts were underway on a war footing to reopen the stretch and ease congestion in the business district. While they initially estimated it would be cleared by afternoon, work continued till late night. Officials said removing the toppled crane was taking longer due to limited space, as it was sandwiched between precast beams of the station.

An official said the work was being done with extreme caution, as stabilising the tilted crane between the beams could cause damage if not handled carefully. Clearing the area and removing the crane’s weights was also taking time.

While the arterial stretch was shut for the entire day, traffic disruptions were minimal. Anil Kumbhare, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said, “Traffic has been diverted onto internal roads; hence disruptions have been minimal.”

A regular BKC commuter confirmed this. Vidyasagar Jagadeesan said, “While the IL&FS junction on the BKC road was shut, vehicles were diverted onto internal roads, so till 5:30 pm, there wasn’t much of an issue. But there was slightly more than usual traffic on the BKC connector towards the Eastern Express Highway.”

In a statement, MMRDA confirmed that no injuries or casualties were reported. “During ongoing construction work on Metro Line 2B at BKC, a mechanical failure caused a 400-tonne mobile crane lifting a precast beam to topple near the Asian Heart Institute junction,” the authority said.