Girder tragedy: Helper operating crane instead of operator

Helper Rakib Hossain, who didn’t have any training to operate cranes, was operating the crane while operator Al Amin was giving directives from outside on the day of the tragic girder crash in the city’s Uttara that left five people dead, said Rab on Thursday.

Rab detained 10 people, including the crane operator and the security personnel, from Dhaka, Gazipur, Sirajganj and Bagerhat districts in connection with the accident on Wednesday night.

The detainees are identified as Crane Operator Md Al Amin Hossain Hridoy, 25, helper Rakib Hossain, 23, Four Brothers Guard Service staff Md Rubel, 28 and Md Afroj Mia, 50, Safety engineer of the contractor firm Md Zulfikar Ali Shah, 39, owner of IFS CON Bangladesh Limited Md Iftekhar Hossain, 39 and head of operations Md Ajharul Islam Mithu, 45, marketing manager of Build Trade Company Limited Tofazzal Hossain Tushar, 42 and administrative officers Ruhul Amin Mridha, 33, and Md Monjurul Islam, 29.

During primary interrogation, the detainees provided information about their involvement in the accident, according to a Rab-7 press release.

According to the information, the accident occurred when a girder was being lifted by a crane under the supervision of contraction firm China Ghezhouba Group Company.

The Chinese firm gave IFS CON Bangladesh Limited the order to supply heavy equipment for the project.

The Bangladeshi firm did not have any heavy crane in their stock, so they hired a light crane from third party Build Trade Company Limited.

During interrogation, it was known Crane Operator Al Amin didn’t have a license to operate heavy vehicles. After receiving training to operate cranes in 2016 and working in 2-3 small scale projects, Al Amin started working for the BRT project in 2022.

Rakib started working for the BRT project in May. Both of them had fled from the spot after the incident.

Legal steps will be taken against the detainees, it said.

On Monday, a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) 3 Elevated Expressway girder came crashing down on the car at Uttara's Jasimuddin road when it was being moved onto a trailer, suggesting the use of cranes of insufficient strength in the project.

Rubel, 50, his wife Fahima, 40, her sister Jharna, 28, and Jharna's two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2, got crushed inside the mangled car.

Fortunately, a newlywed couple – Rubel's son Hridoy, 26, and his wife Ria Moni, 21, – also travelling with them escaped death.