Tower crane collapse at AM/NS plant kills one, injures 3

Surat: One person was killed and three were injured in yet another accident at the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) steel plant in Hazira. This accident occurred at the coke oven project site on Monday morning, when workers were about to start work.

This is the third fatal accident at AM/NS India's Hazira plant in one and a half years, with accidents killing four workers in Dec 2024 and two in April 2024.

On Monday morning, when the shift was about to begin, four workers— Binod Paswan (45), Mazahrul Islam (37), Sahzad Ali Shah (35) and MD Sonu (19) — were under a tower crane which collapsed on them.

While Paswan was killed, the three others were shifted to the hospital where they are said to be stable after treatment. While Shah is a mason, the other three are helpers working for a contractor engaged by AM/NS. All four are from Bihar and Haryana.

Hazira police inspector V L Parmar told TOI: "We have registered an accidental death. We are investigating whose fault led to this serious accident. Company officials said the crane was not operational at the time of the accident and it collapsed while idle. We will get statements from witnesses and check CCTV footage if available. We will file a complaint if any negligence is found."

AM/NS issued a statement saying that the company is taking care of the affected workers' families. "We are deeply grieved and saddened to report a tragic loss of life at our coke oven project site being operated by our contractor ITD Cementation India Ltd. All those injured are recovering in the hospital and are stable. Our deepest condolences and sympathies are with the family during this devastating time. We are monitoring the health of the injured and extending all support."

In Dec 2024, four workers died after suffering severe burns due to equipment failure at the unit's Corex plant. In April 2024, two workers were killed when a steel column collapsed. They were working on the column when it collapsed.