Mumbai:
A senior couple from Mumbra had a close shave when a container overturned and fell right next to their home in the early hours on Thursday.
While the couple were unhurt, the container did damage some of their property, which had been stored in a makeshift tent that they had put up next to their home.
Abdul Jabbar (60) and his wife Banoo Jabbar (55) were fast asleep when they were jolted awake by a deafening sound on Thursday morning, around 5.15 am. Rushing out of their home, they were shocked to see a huge container lying in front of them.
Speaking to mid-day, Abdul Jabbar said, "We were terrified. Had the heavy vehicle fallen even a bit closer to our home, it would have perhaps cost us our life. Fortunately, neither of us got a scratch.
Our fear turned to gratitude as soon as we realised what a close shave it had been. Every day, container trucks and trailers move up and down this stretch, and many people living here have lost their lives in similar accidents. We were lucky to have escaped."
The couple has been living on the Mumbra Bypass road for the last two decades. They claim that they were inhabitants of the area even before the road's construction, and have seen the road being built.
The container damaged the family's tent, which had two beds in it. Banoo Jabbar said, "The tent had two beds and a few utensils, all of which were damaged as the container crushed them.
Thankfully, the accident did not happen during daytime, when we often go and sit in the tent. The vehicle could have crushed us. We have a lot of family members living on the Mumbra Bypass stretch. Such accidents are nothing new in the stretch."
The container was moving from Mumbra towards Shilphata and the driver was admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital (CSMH) in Kalwa, Thane. He passed away around 5.45 pm yesterday, after which his body was sent for post mortem.
The hospital's chief medical officer said, "There were no external injuries. However, there is a possibility that there were internal injuries to the head.
The post mortem report will be out tomorrow." An officer from Mumbra police station said, "The container turned over after 5 am on Thursday. It fell on a tent, after breaking the barrier."