Blurb: The incident occurred at a construction site linked to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.
Surat
A tragic accident claimed the lives of a man and his young daughter after they were crushed by a massive metal plate that fell from an under-construction bridge near Surat in Gujarat on Sunday evening.
The incident occurred at a construction site linked to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, raising serious concerns over safety practices at large infrastructure worksites.
The bridge, which spans the Tapti River, was under active construction when the accident took place in Kathor village. According to officials, construction work was underway during the evening shift when a heavy metal plate suddenly broke loose from overhead machinery. The plate fell directly onto 35-year-old Mohsin Iqbal Sheikh and his nine-year-old daughter, Huma Mohsin Sheikh, who were fishing in the river below at the time.
Local residents who witnessed the incident described scenes of panic and chaos as people rushed to the spot in an attempt to help. However, the sheer weight of the iron plate meant the victims stood no chance of survival. Both father and daughter died on the spot, witnesses said.
Police personnel from the Uttran Police Station reached the site shortly after the accident and cordoned off the area to prevent further danger. A difficult recovery operation followed, during which the bodies were carefully extricated from beneath the fallen metal plate and heavy construction equipment. The bodies were later sent for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death and document injuries.
The incident has triggered renewed scrutiny of safety measures at major construction projects. Police officials said a formal investigation has been launched to examine whether standard safety protocols were followed at the site. Contractors and project officials associated with the bridge construction are now under investigation.
We are probing whether safety regulations and equipment standards were strictly adhered to at the site, a police officer said. If negligence is established, strict legal action will be taken against the responsible contractors and officials.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is one of India’s most ambitious infrastructure initiatives, involving extensive construction across multiple districts. The deaths have intensified calls from local residents and labour groups for stricter enforcement of safety norms to prevent such fatal accidents in the future.
