Two killed as balcony slabs fall on workers

Two construction workers died and two others sustained grievous injuries after balcony slabs came crashing down from the third floor of a building under construction on Spurtank Road on Wednesday evening.

A silt plus three-storeyed hotel is being constructed in an area spanning over 30,000 sq.ft of land tucked away at the end of a private road off Spurtank Road in Chetpet.

The work has been going on for over six months and hundreds of labourers including from North India are working at the site.

The construction of three floors has been completed and the car parking facility is being constructed at the basement. Pre-fabricated structures are being used to construct the building, police said.

Balconies on a connecting pathway has been going on for the past few days. On Wednesday, around 4.20 p.m, a huge concrete slab, weighing over 10 tonnes, was lowered on the fourth floor by a crane.

“The workers went down to check if the slabs were properly positioned. They were on the floor below, when the slab collapsed and came crashing down,” said Appasamy, a construction worker.

More than 10 workers, including Gunasekaran, 23, from Tiruvarur, Raja, 26, from Cuddalore, Manikandan, 25, and Arul, 25, from Cuddalore were on the second floor. “We heard a loud noise and looked up. The slab had fallen on four of our co-workers,” said a labourer.

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) and the police were informed and rescue teams were pressed into service.

“We used hydraulic equipment to lift the slabs and rescued those trapped inside. However, only two were alive. One worker fell into a house adjacent to the site,” said a rescue personnel from the TNFRS.

Those who died have been identified as Gunasekaran and Raja. Manikandan has been sent to Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) hospital and Arul has been admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.

“A case has been registered and we are investigating whether they got proper permission and how the accident happened. It is surprising how the CMDA provided permission to construct such a big hotel in a residential area,” said a police officer.

Vignesh, a relative of Manikandan, said that they had been working at the site for the past four months. “The work will be over in June. I was also there on the spot, I escaped as I had gone to the toilet,” he said.

Residents shocked

A portion of the collapsed structure fell on the staircase of a house on Venugopal Avenue, situated adjacent to the construction site.

“I was sitting in the house when the accident happened and the slab missed me by a whisker. I saw bodies flying like toys. Now we are not able to access the house,” said Radhika, wife of Joseph, who works as a driver for the building owner.

Ranjini, who works as a maid in another house close to the site, said that one of the workers, later identified as Gunasekaran, fell into the backyard of the house where she works. “He was lying in a pool of blood. I alerted my employer Ranjitha and she took him to the hospital. But he died,” she said.

Ms. Ranjitha, tried calling 108 ambulance. “However, they put me on hold. Sensing that it would take time, I drove the injured to the KMC in my car. He was declared dead,” she said.