Overview
- A roughly 22-foot, multi-ton Ganesh idol toppled at Jay Ambe Chowk on Balaram Merchant Road in Bhuleshwar on Saturday night, breaking into pieces and crushing people who were accompanying the arrival procession.
- Two men, identified as Sanket Nevshe and Brijesh Hemant Joshi, were declared brought dead and five others, including two girls aged five and seven, were injured and taken to GT, JJ, Reliance and Saifee hospitals.
- Mumbai Fire Brigade, BMC ward staff, Mumbai Police, Traffic Police and 108 ambulance teams carried out rescue work while viral video showed bystanders urgently trying to lift debris to free those trapped under the fallen idol.
- Preliminary checks by police and civic officials point to a failure in the idol’s support frame — reports cite broken welding or loose nut-bolts — and DB Marg/V.P. Road police have registered an Accidental Death Report and launched technical and legal enquiries.
- The crash has intensified scrutiny of arrival-procession safety because large idols are routinely moved on custom platforms and cranes, and officials say they will review compliance with municipal guidelines before the upcoming Ganeshotsav.