Four killed after dumper crashes into crane, autorickshaw in Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) Four people, including an HR manager, were killed and two injured after a dumper rammed into a stationary crane and an auto-rickshaw with workers engaged in installing CCTV cameras for traffic police in southeast Delhi's Sarita Vihar on Sunday, police said.

The deceased were working for the CCTV installation company and included two cousins. The driver of the dumper, who fled the scene following the incident at 3.20 am, was later apprehended, they said.

The incident occurred when the medium-sized dumper, bearing a Haryana registration number, was travelling from Noida towards Delhi and collided with the crane parked on the roadside, they said.

The crane was being used by workers who were installing CCTV cameras as part of the traffic police's surveillance infrastructure, while an auto-rickshaw carrying some of the workers was parked nearby.

Following the collision, the dumper allegedly hit the auto-rickshaw, leaving several workers seriously injured.

According to police, the workers were carrying out CCTV installation work at the time of the accident. Two of them were on the crane and were engaged in installing cameras, while others were near the auto-rickshaw and on the road.

The impact was severe and several workers sustained critical injuries. They were rushed to hospital, where four of them were declared dead during treatment, police said.

The deceased were identified as Umesh, 23, Praveen, 35, Anoop, 26, all residents of Sangam Vihar, and Suraj, 34, a resident of Munirka, police said.

Suraj was working as an HR manager with a technology company, while Praveen and Anoop were associated with the same company as labourers, which was involved in installing CCTV cameras, according to police.

Umesh was not employed with the company, they said.

The injured were identified as Akash alias Tushar, 20, a resident of Sangam Vihar, and Khem Singh, 40, a resident of Rohini. Both are undergoing treatment, police said.

Another worker, Sudhir, a resident of Sangam Vihar, escaped unhurt.

The accident devastated a family from Sangam Vihar as Praveen, Anoop and Akash were cousins.

Praveen's father Ramdas said, "We have lost a young son. He was around 32 years old. He has two kids, one around one year old and another around two-and-a-half years old."

Praveen was the sole-earning member of the family.

Ramdas said the family learnt about the accident in the morning through someone who had accompanied Praveen to the site.

"First we went to AIIMS Trauma Centre and then came to Sarita Vihar police station," he said.

Another family member, Brajesh Kumar, said Praveen was his elder brother while Anoop and Akash were his cousins.

He alleged that the workers were not provided adequate safety equipment while carrying out the work.

"They were working at night when a dumper hit their vehicle. Nobody is taking any action and the company is also not taking any responsibility.

They gave them no safety gear. They are all from one family. This should not have happened. Strict action should be taken against the company as well," he said.

Brajesh said the family had been told that the workers had been engaged in installing CCTV cameras for the police for around six months.

Another relative, Satish Kumar, said the family reached the spot after being informed about the accident and found the dumper there.

"There was no safety where the work was happening. When I reached, there was no one except one man who was trapped beneath the tyre of the truck. The driver had fled. I could only find my brother's clothes there," he said.

Satish claimed that police personnel remained at the spot for some time while efforts were made to rescue the person trapped underneath the dumper.

"Police were there for around one-and-a-half hours, but they could not get the man out from under the tyre. The public somehow managed to do so," he said.

The family has demanded strict action against the driver of the dumper.

The dumper involved in the collision has been seized, police said.

A police team also reached the accident site and examined the vehicles and the surrounding area. The circumstances leading to the collision are being investigated.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage from cameras installed around the area to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine the movement of the dumper before the collision.

Police are also checking the vehicle's speed, its route from Noida, the exact point of impact and the circumstances in which the crane and auto-rickshaw were positioned on the road, officials said.

The police are also examining the work arrangements at the site, including the deployment of workers and the safety measures in place when the CCTV installation was being carried out.

The role of the company, if any, will be ascertained during the investigation, officials said.

The victims' relatives said the workers were carrying out the work during the night when traffic and heavy vehicles continued to move along the road.

The family members are also seeking information about the circumstances under which the workers were deployed at the spot and whether the required safety equipment and precautions were provided.

Police, however, have not yet attributed responsibility for the accident to the company or established any lapse in safety arrangements.

The investigation is underway and further legal action will follow based on the evidence collected, officials said.

The accident occurred as the workers were carrying out work linked to CCTV surveillance infrastructure used by traffic police. Such installations require workers to operate cranes and other equipment close to roads, making safety arrangements and traffic management at work sites important aspects of the investigation.

The bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem examination, police said.

The police are also recording statements of the injured workers and witnesses to establish the sequence of events.

Investigators are expected to examine the mechanical condition of the dumper, the condition and positioning of the crane and auto-rickshaw, and other physical evidence from the site as part of the probe.