Online Desk: At least 16 people died and four were injured after the girder launcher machine, used in the construction of Phase III of the Samruddhi Express Highway, collapsed in Maharashtra’s Thane in India. The accident happened in the wee hours of Tuesday.

A bridge construction was underway near Sarlambe village in Thane, when the accident happened. Apart from those dead, several others are feared trapped beneath the debris, according to India Today reports.

The crane and slab connecting the girder machine fell from a height of 100 feet, resulting in a major accident. The dead bodies were taken to a local hospital, along with those injured. Police personnel, NDRF personnel and fire officials are engaged in rescue and relief work. It is feared that the death toll may rise.

The machine is used to install precast box girders in highway and high-speed rail bridge construction projects. The Samruddhi Mahamarg, named Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur.