Hospital authorities said the five persons were brought dead after the incident. Relatives of the five labourers who succumbed to multiple injuries after the collapse of a slab structure in Yerawada’s Shastri Nagar were angry and upset that the contractor who had employed the deceased had not even bothered to pay them a visit.
“We have been waiting at Sassoon General Hospital since last night till 11 am today for some feedback, but in vain. The least they could have done was provide a hydra crane to the workers,” cried Ahmed Raza whose nephew Magdoom Hussain was among those who lost their lives.
Five persons died and several others were injured when a structure built to lay a slab for an under-construction building collapsed late on Thursday night. Following this, state medical emergency services personnel shifted nine critical patients to Sassoon Hospital.
The site of the incident. (Express Photo by Ashish Kale) The deceased have been identified as Sohail Mohammad (22), M D Sameer (30), Magdoom Hussain (35), Tajib Alam (40) and Mobid Alam (40). Most of them hailed from Katihar in Bihar.
Sohail’s relative Akhil Raza Misbahi has been waiting at the mortuary since last night. “How do we inform this to the parents of these youngsters? Why can’t the safety of our workers be ensured,” he asked.
Additional Commissioner (Labour) Shailendra Pol, who visited the injured persons at the hospital, told The Indian Express that the collapse was a sheer case of negligence. “Stop work orders will be issued. We are looking into the matter,” he added.
Hospital authorities said the five persons were brought dead. Autopsy pointed to multiple trauma injuries as the cause of death. The falling slab had crushed their chests and abdomen.
Four of the injured were admitted to ward number 9 at the hospital and are under observation. This includes Mohammed Rashid (27), Mohammed Faim (27), Mohammed Sahil (45) and Mohammed Alam (47). Their condition is stable, said Dr Vinayak Kale, Dean of BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital.
Shivaji Khatke of the Building Contractors Association said, “the accident has taken place in the basement raft which was under construction. Cup lock pole support, which lifts the upper raft (iron rod trellis), was not enough. Such heavy material require more support. This is the first such mishap I have seen in the last 20 years. This could have been avoided with proper precautions.” Khatke is a former flight engineer with the Indian Air Force.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
