While two-three labourers are believed to be stuck under the debris, another labourer who sustained injuries was rescued and rushed to the hospital.Two labourers died while two others were rescued after an old two-storey building, where demolition work was going on for over a month, collapsed in Gurgaon’s Udyog Vihar Phase 1 Monday morning.
Police identified the deceased as Pratap (25) and Guddu (48). The two injured persons, Ramakant and Surender, are undergoing treatment. The men hailed from Fatehpur Chaurasi, Unnao, UP. District administration officials said the labourers had been contracted to carry out demolition work at the building on plot number 257 in Udyog Vihar phase 1.
Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said, “Prima facie, it has emerged that demolition work of the building had been going on for the past one month. Six labourers, all hailing from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, were staying at the rear area of the building. Today morning, the building collapsed and four labourers were trapped underneath the rubble. Among them, two were safely rescued and two were rushed to the hospital, where they were declared dead… Two labourers had gone out and were not on the premises when the incident occurred.”
Labourers feared trapped as building collapses unexpectedly while being demolished
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A police officer added, “At the time of the incident, Pratap, Guddu and Ramakant were cooking, while Surender was in the bathroom. All four were trapped underneath the debris. (Among the two who stepped out), Naresh was taking a shower at some distance and survived with minor bruises while Dinesh was drawing water from a tanker outside the building.”
The DC said a five-member committee, headed by a sub-divisional magistrate, has been formed to probe the incident. “A team from the labour department is collecting details, and compensation shall be provided to the injured and kin of deceased as per the norms,” said Yadav.
According to police, the incident took place around 7.30 am, following which teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, fire department and civil defence volunteers reached the spot and a rescue operation was launched. Gaurav Patel, an NDRF officer, said, that the rescue operation concluded around 11 am.
Police said the families of the victims were yet to lodge a complaint. Deepak Saharan (DCP West) said, “It is an old two-storey building that was being demolished. Two floors had been demolished to a large extent. A portion of the structure on the upper floor, which may have weakened due to the demolition, caved in, and fell on the floors beneath, trapping four labourers under the debris. Legal action shall be taken once a complaint is received.”
Gurugram, Haryana | Building collapse in Udyog Vihar Phase I
As per preliminary information, 2-3 laborers are feared trapped after a building that was being demolished, collapsed. Rescue operation on. One labourer already rescued: Lalit Kumar, Fire Officer pic.twitter.com/gTwu5lf6Cu
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2022
‘My son earned Rs 500 a day’
Speaking to The Indian Express, Pratap’s father, Daya Prasad, said, “I worked at the same building a fortnight ago, before the contractor sent me to work at another site. It’s an old factory building that has been shut for some time and demolition was on for the past 40 days. My son was staying on the premises… he got Rs 500 a day. I got a call from another worker this morning and rushed here. By the time I reached, his body had been pulled out from the debris. He was my eldest son and is survived by his wife and an infant son.”
A relative of Guddu said, “He had been working as a labourer for over two decades. In September, he had returned from his village. He had been saving up for his daughter’s marriage and used to send money home. The incident is tragic.”
Naresh, one of labourers at the site, said he was outside at the time and survived. “We usually carried out demolition work from 9 am to 6 pm. Today around 7 am, the building suddenly collapsed. Some were making preparations for cooking at that time… It all happened so fast.”