3 Killed, 3 Injured As Crane Falls Into Pit In Tirupati
Three workers were killed and three injured after a crane tilted while lifting a tree and fell into a deep pit at a hotel construction site in Tirupati.
Three workers were killed and three others injured after a crane tilted while lifting a tree and plunged into a deep pit during construction work for a private hotel near Sri Convention Centre on DBR Road in Tirupati on Tuesday.
Police said the crane could not hold the weight of the tree, causing it to tilt and plunge into the pit. Five workers under the crane and tree were trapped.
The deceased were identified as Sandeep (34), a civil engineer from Srikakulam district, Rama Rao (45), a migrant worker from Odisha, and Chengayya (40), a garden worker from Tirupati. The injured were crane driver Sheikh Farahan (24), his assistant Naushan (24), both from Bihar, and worker Muragayya (38) of R. Mallavaram in Yerpedu mandal.
Police reached the spot after receiving information from locals. The three workers trapped under the crane were found dead and their bodies were retrieved and shifted. The injured were rescued and shifted to Ruia hospital.
Tirupati municipal commissioner Jaya Krishna inspected the site and said an inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the cause of the accident. He said the injured were being provided treatment.
The hotel project, being developed by Nandini Hotels, is located between the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Municipal Corporation School and Sri Convention. Foundation work was being carried out to a depth of about 30 feet, with soil removal and removal of a large tree underway when the accident occurred.
Meanwhile, the accident raised questions over construction activity near the school. YSRC Tirupati unit leaders alleged that private construction personnel had entered the school premises and that a portion of the school compound wall had been demolished for the hotel work.
They questioned who had permitted private persons and the crane to operate near the school and whether permission had been given to remove the old tree and dig the pit. They also questioned the safety arrangements when 1,000 students were attending classes and sought an inquiry into the permissions, crane location and safety measures at the site.
