Tragedy and chaos: Witnesses recall fatal chartered plane crash near Mumbai
Ghatkopar,
where the crash occurred, is only a few kilometres from the domestic airport.
The fear of crashes looms large in this area which has several high rises built
in close proximity
Current Affairs News:
It had been
just a few minutes that security guard Samsher Khan had stepped out to have tea
at a local tea stall outside the Old Malik Estate construction site. What he
saw from the distance, Khan says, he will never be able to come to terms with.
“A huge plane came down crashing at the place I have been working for months.
There was a deafening sound, almost like a blast – and in no time, the site
caught fire,” Khan narrates.
The King Air C90 12-seater aircraft had
crashed into a construction sire in Jeev Daya lane near a telephone exchange in
the busy suburban area in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. All four – Maria Kuber, the pilot
in-charge, Pradip Rajput, her co-pilot, Manish Pandey, the aircraft technician
and Surabhi, a mechanical engineer – on board were charred to death. A
pedestrian too died in the mishap. He was identified as Govind Pandit.
After the initial few minutes of shock, as
Khan returned to his senses, he said he inquired about the 50 odd workers at
the site. They had, just a few minutes before the crash, stepped out for lunch.
“At 1 pm, everyone goes out for lunch and returns only around 2 pm. The crash
happened around 1:10 pm,” Khan said. Three persons, who were still at the site
have suffered burn injuries and are being treated at the municipal
corporation-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar. Vidya Thakur, the medical
superintendent at the hospital confirmed that their conditions are stable,
although all three have sustained burn injuries. “One of them has severe burn
injuries on the face and other two, on their limbs. We are monitoring their
condition. They are out of danger,” Dr Thakur told The Wire. Bodies of the five
deceased have been sent for post mortem.
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