A freak accident claimed a life while another suffered serious injuries when the belt of a crane lifting a heavy object came off and hit the workmen standing beneath on the Marine Engineering Division campus of the Fishery Survey of India on Foreshore Road on Wednesday morning.
The deceased was identified as Lalan, 58, of Puthuvype. Another person, Wahab, a resident of Mattancherry, is on ventilator support at a private hospital in the city after suffering serious head injuries. His condition remains serious. The Ernakulam Town South police have registered a case in connection with the incident.
According to Fire and Rescue Services officials who rushed to the spot immediately after the accident, the victim died on the spot while the other was rushed to the hospital.
A pontoon, basically a large iron box which floats on water, was being lowered onto the water using a crane when the accident occurred.
The belt used to fasten it onto the crane came off and the huge metal box wildly swung and reportedly hit the heads of the workers standing beneath.