Pune: 4 Killed While Unloading Glass Consignment in Yewalewadi Area

Pune, September 30, 2024: In a tragic accident on Sunday afternoon, four workers were killed and one seriously injured while unloading a heavy glass consignment in Pune’s Yewalewadi area.

The incident occurred at Indian Glass Solutions in Katraj around 1:36 pm, when the workers were unloading large glass boxes from a truck. The deceased have been identified as Amit Shivshankar Kumar (27), Vikas Sarju Prasad Gautam (23), Dharmendra Satyapal Kumar (40), and Pavan Ramchandra Kumar (44), all originally from Uttar Pradesh. One worker, Jagatpal Santaram Saroj (49), along with three others—Moneshwar Kuli (24), Pintu Navnath Irkal (23), and Dyanand Dyanadev Rokade (36)—were hospitalized with injuries.

The glass consignment, which consisted of 10mm thick glass packed in wooden boxes, had arrived from JNPT Mumbai. The accident occurred when 2-3 glass boxes fell on the workers due to a broken belt during the unloading process.

Fire brigade officials, who responded to the incident, had to use a crane to lift the heavy glass boxes and rescue the trapped workers. Sameer Sheikh, a fire brigade official, stated, “The workers were trapped under the glass boxes and died due to severe injuries.”

Police investigations revealed significant safety violations at the site, including the absence of safety gloves and other necessary equipment. Senior police inspector Vinay Patankar of Kondhwa police station mentioned that most of the workers had come to Pune from outside Maharashtra two years ago in search of jobs.

The factory owner, Hussain Pithawala, truck owner Sanjay Hivre, truck driver Raju Rasage, and contractor Baban alias Suresh Chavan have been booked under various sections of the law for negligence.

The bodies of the deceased were sent to Sassoon Hospital for post-mortem, while police investigations are ongoing.