Mumbai: Rescue personnel stand near the debris of the chartered plane that crashed in Ghatkopar's Jivdaya Lane, killing 5, in Mumbai on Thursday, June 28, 2018. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande) Mumbai: A lunch break saved the lives of nearly 30 workers, who would have otherwise been present at the site where the chartered plane crashed at Ghatkopar. A pedestrian walking on the road got killed along with both the pilots and engineers. Also, co-engineer Surbhi Gupta who was on board the aircraft and got killed was reportedly pregnant. Also, three people were injured, including two labourers and one pedestrian. The bodies of the dead were taken to Rajawadi for post mortem. A senior doctor said that the bodies were charred beyond recognition, making it difficult to identify them.
The medical team attended to the injured patients. The injured workers, from the construction site where the plane crashed, have been identified as Nareshkumar Nishad (24) and Lovkush Gaud (21) and Prashant Mahakal (23) was passing along the site at that time. Nishad sustained 20 per cent burn injuries and Mahakal sustained major injuries in his legs.
All three were rushed to Rajawadi Hospital for medication. Mahakal said, “I was passing the area when I heard a crash and saw something fall. Out of curiosity, I went to check when something came flying and hit my legs hard. I fell down instantly to the ground.” Medical superintendent of Rajawadi Hospital, Dr Vidya Thakur, said the health condition of all three injured persons is stable and currently they are under observation.
While Nareshkumar sustained 20 per cent burn injuries on his face and right hand, Lovkush sustained a minor injury. Recollecting the incident, the survivors said that there were around 30 workers on site, at the time of the crash. Since it was lunch time, all had taken a small break. Naresh and Lovkush decided to take a break later wanting to complete their work, which left them both injured.
“While we were working, I did not see any plane. However, by the time I heard the sound of the crash, it was too late. The fire from the crash hit my face and I fainted. The sound was so painfully loud that it pierced my ears,” said Naresh.Kaushal Kumar, a relative of Naresh, said that they heard him screaming and they ran toward him. “When we reached the spot we found him lying on the floor with burn injuries and immediately took him to Rajawadi hospital,” he added.
Relatives of pilot Pradeep Singh Rajput who had a difficult time identifying him said, “I saw the completely charred body and we were able to identify him only due to his chain and stainless steel bangle. I messaged his picture to another relative to confirm.” Dr Thakur added that since the bodies were badly charred, a forensic odontologist from King Edward Memorial hospital was called in to identify the dead bodies. The police department is also planning to send the DNA to a private laboratory for rapid identification.