Fireman crushed as fire engine turns turtle

However, of the seven fire brigade personnel in the vehicle, one fireman, Mayaram Eknath Pandhre died on the spot, while others suffered fracture injuries, sources said. Vilas Mungekar, one of the firemen in the vehicle,said he only remembers the vehicle turned turtle as it was taking a turn. He escaped with a small bruise on his head, and was trying to ascertain if all his colleagues had been accounted for.

The overturned fire engine was itself a picture of destruction. The windshield was smashed. The hood of the engine was hanging on one side, and even the speaker phone of the wireless set had come off. A senior fire brigade official informed the vehicle was actually an aerial ladder platform ALP, and it has a ladder that can go up to a distance of 42 metres. It had been imported from Finland at a cost of Rs 2.4 crore, sources said.

According to M G Sirkot, deputy chief fire officer, Mumbai fire brigade, such an accident is highly unusual since the ALP is quite a stable vehicle. He said it8217;s difficult to say how the accident took place because there was no sharp turn and the driver was quite experienced. Asked about the damaged vehicle, he said: 8220;The fireman8217;s life is more important to us.8221;

The rescue operationfor righting the vehicle proved quite an effort for fire brigade personnel. First, the two taxis were pulled away by a tow vehicle and then, a crane was brought to lift the fire engine. The engine could only be lifted at about 5.10 pm.

Throughout the operation, there were hundreds of curious onlookers who had gathered at the spot, and this caused hindrance to the work. Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge twice, but the bystanders kept coming back. They finally dispersed after the fire engine was removed from the spot, though many of them clapped when the engine was put right. The authorities informed the deceased8217;s family members will be suitably compensated.