Labourer falls to death from Vashi building terrace while installing plastic sheets

A 40-year-old labourer lost his life on Tuesday afternoon after falling from the terrace of a three-storey residential building in Sector 15, Vashi. The fatal accident occurred around 2:30 pm at building number 58, located within the Shree Dattaguru complex in Navi Mumbai, while the worker was attempting to install plastic sheets over a tin roof to prevent rainwater from seeping into a flat below.

The deceased labourer has been identified as Gajanan Watey, who was a resident of Turbhe. The Vashi police have registered an accidental death report in connection with the incident.

According to Senior Inspector Shashikant Chandekar of the Vashi police station, the sequence of events began when a tenant residing in a third-floor flat of the building noticed rainwater seeping from the terrace. The seepage had caused dampening across the ceiling and walls of the flat. After informing the landlord about the ongoing leakage issues, the tenant hired Watey to cover the terrace's tin roof with plastic sheets to act as a monsoon shade and block further water entry.

While working on the terrace to secure the plastic sheets, Watey lost his balance near the edge of the structure. He slipped and fell from the three-storey building, landing directly in the compound of the residential society.

The fall caused Watey to sustain grievous head injuries. He was immediately rushed to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Hospital in Vashi for emergency medical treatment. Upon arrival, however, doctors at the municipal hospital declared him dead.

The Vashi police are continuing their formalities following the registration of the accidental death report. Senior Inspector Chandekar confirmed that the police are documenting the circumstances surrounding the fatal fall at the Shree Dattaguru complex.