Around 15 commuters fell into a gutter after a cement slab caved in due to the heavy morning rush at platform No. 1 at the Vasai railhead on Tuesday morning.
Two commuters sustained fractures and are now admitted to a private hospital, which is under a medical contract with the Western Railway.
Commuters were waiting to catch the 8:40 am Churchgate local from Platform number 1 at Vasai, which was delayed because there was a derailment of a long-distance coach at Lower Parel, resulting in delays.
A majority of the commuters from the Anand Nagar locality were standing on the concrete slab constructed by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation over a gutter line, which connects to the staircase that leads to the platform, and were waiting for the train's arrival, as the platform was jam-packed with the commuters.
Just then at around 9 am, the slab caved in due because weight of the commuters and 15 commuters fell down in a 4-foot wide gutter which was semi-filled with sewage water.
Fellow commuters managed to rescue the those who had fallen, said Manish Thakur, president, Anand Nagar Social Circle, who was also present at the time of the incident.
“I, along with other members of our group, caught hold of some of the commuters, but we also alerted the fire brigade who arrived within minutes and rescued the victims,” he said.
Two commuters, Jitesh Nair, 36, a resident of Bhayander (east) and Manish Tiwari of Vasai sustained leg injuries and are recuperating at the Ravi Hospital in Vasai, said Rarmesh Bhakar, CPRO,WR.
Others sustained minor injuries and were discharged after first aid. “We will be bearing the entire cost of the treatment of the two commuters, even though the incident occurred on the structure constructed by the VVMC,” said Bhakar.
Meanwhile, the VVMC will be conducting an inquiry into the incident, said Praveena Thakur, mayor, who visited the hospital with other corporators to inquire about the condition of the injured.
