New Delhi ,Feb. 28: A 30-year-old call centre employee died after a crane toppled and fell on three cars in west Delhi in the early hours of Sunday morning at a site where Delhi Jal Board work was going on.
The police confirmed that the accident took place at around 3 am near the Rajouri Garden flyover. The victim has been identified as Abhinav Puri, who was returning to his Tilak Nagar residence from a Gurgaon-based call centre.
The police said a crane toppled near the Rajouri Garden flyover and some part of it fell directly on Puri’s Alto car as well as two other vehicles. Puri was crushed under its weight as he was trapped inside. His vehicle was between two other cars. Puri had returned to India two years ago after studying in Australia. A local resident who was passing through called the police and the fire brigade.
Gas cutters were used to retrieve Puri from the mangled car and was he rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. His body has been sent for post-mortem.
Construction work was going on near the flyover and the JCB crane belonged to the contractor employed by the DJB for excavation work in the area. Police officials said that it appeared till now that the crane had toppled because of excess weight.
A case of causing death due to negligence (Section 304A IPC) and an act endangering the life or personal safety of others (Section 336 IPC) has been registered. The crane operator had managed to flee from the spot.
Age Correspondent
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Toll in Chile earthquake rises to 400
Mario Naranjo
CONCEPCION, Chile
Feb. 28: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Chile rose to more than 400 people, an official at the National Emergency Office said on Sunday.
Chilean rescuers used shovels and sledgehammers on Sunday to find survivors of the mammoth earthquake that unleashed a Pacific tsunami and triggered looting by desperate and hungry residents.
The police used teargas and water cannons to disperse a crowd of looters.
—Reuters