Pedestrian falls into crater, crushed under truck in Kalyan

A 45-year-old man died after he fell into a water-filled pothole and ran over by a truck on Haji Malang Road in Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district, police said today.

This is the second such incident this week on the Haji Malang Road.

On Sunday, a 43-year-old woman riding pillion on a motorcycle fell off due to a crater and was crushed under wheels of a bus. The video of the incident had gone viral.

In the latest incident, which occurred yesterday, the man was walking towards a cowshed in Balgaon area when he lost his footing and fell into a water-filled crater at Dwarli Naka, the official said, adding that a truck coming from behind ran him over.

The deceased is identified only as Anna.

Hill Line Police rushed to the spot and shifted the body to a hospital, the official said.

The truck driver, identified as Nasim Mohammad Khan (45), has been arrested, said Hill Line police station senior inspector G H Palange.

Khan is a resident of Rabodi area in Thane.

The deaths due to potholes has caused an outrage, with the Congress accusing the state government and Mumbai civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation of negligence.

Many streets in Mumbai remained under water earlier this week due to incessant rains.

As rains took a break yesterday and water receded, many potholes have resurfaced on the city roads.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that the number of potholes in Mumbai during monsoon had come down drastically, a claim disputed by the Congress.

The Mumbai Congress has alleged that four persons have died in potholes-related accidents in various areas of the city.

The city unit today launched a campaign to highlight the "inaction" of the BMC into the matter.