Mumbai, February 28: A 35-year-old cab driver was killed instantly in the early hours of Friday, February 27, when a massive 40-ton iron plate fell from a moving container truck and crushed his vehicle. The accident occurred around 12:55 AM beneath the Eastern Freeway on the Sewri-Chembur Road in Wadala East. The victim, identified as Mohammed Jameer Hasanuddin Siddiqui, was driving a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga when the industrial machinery broke free from its moorings and flattened the car, trapping him inside.

The recovery operation was a grueling six-hour ordeal, requiring the deployment of three heavy-duty cranes and a Poclain machine to lift the immense weight. Emergency responders from the Wadala Police and local fire brigade worked until 8:00 AM to extricate Siddiqui’s body from the mangled wreckage. Preliminary investigations suggest the accident was triggered by an uneven, pothole-ridden stretch of road which caused the trailer to jolt, snapping the heavy chains that secured the oversised cargo. Mumbai Metro Accident: Parapet Wall Collapse From Elevated Metro Bridge in Mulund Kills 1, Injures 4 as Debris Falls on Vehicles on LBS Road (Watch Videos).

Cab Driver Crushed to Death After 40-Ton Iron Plate Falls on Ertiga Car in Mumbai

Cab Driver Crushed to Death by 40-Ton Iron Plate on Mumbai's Eastern Freeway

Eyewitnesses reported that the container truck was transporting industrial machinery from the Mumbai Port to a factory in Surat, Gujarat. As the truck navigated a particularly rough patch of the BPT Road, a sudden jolt caused the load to shift.

Siddiqui, a resident of Mohammed Estate near BKC, had just dropped off a passenger in Sewri and was reportedly attempting to overtake the heavy vehicle when the iron plate plummeted. The impact was so severe that the car was reduced to a height of barely a few inches, leaving no chance for survival. Mumbai: 30 Kg Iron Jack From Metro Line 9 Site Crashes Near Shops in Bhayandar, Video Surfaces.

Negligence and Police Action

The Wadala Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the container driver for causing death by negligence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Although the driver initially fled the scene, he was later traced and detained with the cooperation of the Thane-based transport firm.

  • Cause of Failure: Investigators are looking into whether the cargo was improperly secured for the weight it carried.

  • Road Conditions: Authorities noted that the stretch near Khar Ganga is notorious for being uneven due to heavy port traffic, a factor that likely exacerbated the mechanical failure of the securing chains.

  • Victim's Status: Siddiqui’s body was taken to KEM Hospital for a post-mortem before being handed over to his grieving family.

The Sewri-Wadala-Chembur corridor is a vital artery for heavy logistics moving out of the Mumbai Port Trust area. However, the road infrastructure beneath the Eastern Freeway has long been a subject of concern for local residents due to poor lighting and lack of maintenance.

This incident marks the latest in a series of accidents involving heavy containers in Mumbai's eastern suburbs. Safety advocates have frequently called for stricter "lashing and securing" audits for oversised industrial loads, as well as dedicated time slots for heavy vehicle movement to prevent such tragedies in high-traffic civilian zones.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2026 05:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).