24-year-old dies as shop rack tilts, plywood slabs fall on her

MUMBAI: A 24-year-old accountant died on Friday after a heavy rack, stacked with plywood slabs, fell on her while she was working at a shop in Charkop in Kandivli (West).

According to the Charkop police, the incident took place around 12.15pm at Jagdeep Enterprises in Ganesh Chowk, Charkop.

The victim, Sonali Yadav, a Malad resident, had been working in the shop as an accountant for the past eight months. She used to sit inside the shop on a chair with a table.

“The rack, weighing a few hundred kilograms, was stacked with plywood slabs and was not able to bear the weight of the slabs. It tilted on one side and fell on Yadav,” said senior inspector of Charkop police station, Pramod Dhaware.

The rack fell on Yadav from behind so she could not react and save herself, added Dhaware. Yadav suffered multiple internal injuries and choked under the heavy weight of the rack and the slabs.

Fire brigade officials were roped in to pull out her body, said Dhaware. It took nearly two hours and two JCB machines to remove the body from under the rack, he said.

She was rushed to Bhagwati Hospital where she was declared dead on admission.

Dhaware said it was a case of negligence. There were three other labourers in the shop who ran for cover. Dhaware said they are in the process of registering an FIR against the owner for negligence under section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

THE RACK, WEIGHING HUNDREDS OF KGS FELL ON THE ACCOUNTANT FROM BEHIND. IT TOOK TWO HOURS TO PULL OUT HER BODY FROM UNDER THE RACK AND THE WOODEN SLABS