One person has died and 32 others are injured after the scaffolding of an under-construction building in Kandanchavadi collapsed on Saturday night. The rescue operations are still underway to clear the debris in the site.
Speaking to TNM, Rajendra Ratnoo, Commissioner, Disaster Management, Tamil Nadu, said, “A total of 32 people have been injured and sent to Apollo Hospital and Royapettah government hospital. The body of the dead man, Babloo from Bihar, was recovered late yesterday (Saturday) night.”
“To ensure that there is nobody else trapped inside the debris, we are clearing it out. Our teams from National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, the District Collector and myself are at the accident site since last night and are monitoring the rescue operations. We are awaiting bigger cranes and gas cutters to get through the debris and will clear it out soon,” he explained.
Rajendra Ratnoo also said that there are minor damages to four other buildings due to this incident and that two auto rickshaws were also damaged in the incident.
The building is an upcoming hospital on MGR Salai, across from SP Infocity. While the building structure remains unscathed, it is the scaffolding and the iron girders of the generator room that caved in and caused the tragedy.
Kanchipuram District Collector Ponnaiyah spoke to the media on Saturday night and said that 17 people were rescued and sent to private and government hospitals nearby for treatment. He also said that of the 17 people, five had head injuries.
Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar had, on Saturday, told TNM that more than 20 people were working at the site and that strict action would be taken against the construction company that is building the hospital. He also said that such accidents occurred when the company and the workers don’t follow the safety precautions mandated by the authorities.One dead, 32 injured in Chennai building collapse, rescue operations still underway