On Thursday afternoon, 28th June 2018, a King Air C-90 private plane crashed at the construction site where nearly 35 workers had a lucky escape as they had stepped away for lunch.
Two workers, Lavkush Kumar (21) and Naresh Kumar Nishad (24), were just about to leave for lunch, and were injured in the crash. Where as Some of the workers went to the basement where they generally cooked food, some to their shanties nearby, while a few went to restaurants.
The crash claimed the lives of five people as listed, chief pilot Pradeep Rajput, co-pilot Marya Zuberi, aircraft maintenance engineer Surabhi Gupta, aircraft technician Manish Pandey, and a passer-by, suspected to be Kalwa resident Govind Dubey.
Four days ago, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, arrived in Mumbai who is identified as Mr. Kumar. He joined United One Construction Company, through which he was posted at the Ghatkopar site. Later on when interviewed by press said “I heard a thud and saw a huge ball of fire,” said the worker, who injured his leg while running away. Well, He is stable now.
Mr. Nishad, a Chhattisgarh resident, had been working at the site for a month. “He said he would leave for lunch soon after his work was done,” said Kushal Kumar Mishra, a foreman. Mr. Nishad’s wife, also a worker at site, also went for lunch.
Mr. Mishra said, “Suddenly, we heard a loud noise. When we rushed up, we saw fire and a charred man who seemed to have fallen out of the plane”. Mr. Nishad was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital. Medical superintendent Dr. Vidya Thakur said he has 20% burns on his face and shoulder, but is stable.
Prashant Mahakal (24), a resident of Kapadia Chawl, rushed to help at the site with a group of friends and to see what had happened. He injured his right leg with a metal plate that had broken away from the plane. Doctors said he will need minor surgery.
Flight technician Manish Pandey, who died in the crash on Thursday, got married just six months ago. He and his wife had rented a flat in Vasai. “He has been working on this particular aircraft for almost six months, so he had to be on board during the test,” said Vikas Verma, his friend and superior at Indamer Aviation. “He worked for Deccan Charter company earlier, and had recently joined Indamer.”
Aircraft maintenance engineer Surabhi Gupta was married for only about a year. Her husband, Brijesh, is a pilot. He rushed to Mumbai from Kolkata soon after he was informed about the tragedy. A resident of Jogeshwari, Ms. Gupta was also attached to Indamer Aviation.
The fifth unknown victim is likely to be Kalwa resident Govind Dubey, 33, who had visited the construction site to measure windows. Lalit Kunde, Mr. Dubey’s friend, said that Mr. Dubey’s colleague had left the site around 12.30 p.m, and informed friends and family after finding his phone unreachable. While the body could not be identified, the police have found something similar to a measuring tape on one of the bodies.
Also read: Live Update on Ghatkopar plane crash: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visits Ghatkopar Crash site