HSL Announces Rs 50 Lakh Ex-gratia to Kin of Deceased in Vishakapatnam Crane Collapse

The public sector Hindustan Shipyard Ltd on Sunday announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh each to the kin of those killed in the crane collapse accident on its premises here, even as a probe is underway.

Toll in the mishap, which was put at 11 on Saturday could actually be 10 as only that many bodies were retrieved so far, police and officials said adding however a clear picture would emerge only after the debris is cleared.

“We have also retrieved a severed hand and no other body was found yet. The debris removal is still going on,” HSL Additional General Manager Lt Col (retd) Sundeep Parija told PTI on Sunday.

A senior police officer, however, said of the 10 bodies recovered on Saturday, soon after the mishap, one was only in part.

“There is a half body inside the (crane) cabin that is still stuck under the debris. We have to match them once the debris is fully cleared,” the police officer said.

Harbour sub-division Assistant Commissioner of Police T Mohan Rao said post-mortem on the bodies was still being carried out and so far three have been handed over to the kin.

Of the ten deceased, nine belonged to Visakhapatnam district while one was from Kothagudem in neighbouring Telangana.

As all the staff involved in the trial operation of the ill-fated crane were inside the cabin and consequently killed, the exact cause of the accident could not be ascertained yet.

The safety officer of the yard and his team were conducting the examination of the accident scene and trying to establish if any mechanical failure or some other factor caused the crash.

State Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao, who visited HSL and interacted with the workers’ unions and also family members of the deceased, said the PSU management agreed to pay an ex gratia of Rs 50 lakh each to the victims kin.

HSL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral (retd) L V Sarat Babu said employment would also be provided to eligible family members depending on the educational qualification.

“This was the first major accident in HSL. We are investigating how the new crane crashed. Our committee is investigating the cause of the accident and we will take appropriate action once it submits its report,” Sarat Babu said.

Workers unions, on the other hand, blame the management for the accident, alleging that the Safety Workload procedures were not being followed.

Most of the cranes in the yard were decades old, some dating back to 1975, and most of the works were being outsourced to private contractors.

In a grave mishap, atleast 10 people were killed when a massive 70-tonne jetty crane collapsed during a load test in the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) here.

The victims were crushed to death on the spot when they came under the massive iron structure that crashed on the ground with a loud thud after its cabin and base snapped during a trial run.