A construction worker died and another was injured after a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed at Narayanapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district on the evening of Saturday, August 28. The flyover has been under construction for the past two years, as part of the Madurai-Natham Highway Project in Madurai district.
According to reports, when the construction workers were working at the site on Saturday evening, a portion of the flyover, located between the Pandian hotel junction and Oomachikulam collapsed, injuring two construction workers. The fire and rescue service personnel and police swiftly rushed to the spot to evacuate the public gathered near the accident site and held a search operation to rescue if any workers were caught under the debris.
Although the two construction workers who were injured were immediately rushed to the hospital, one of them succumbed to injuries. The deceased has been identified as Akash Singh, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, according to a TOI report.
Finance Minister P Thiaga Rajan and Madurai MP S Venkatesan immediately rushed to the spot to inspect the area after the news of the death. The Madurai Corporation officials also arrived at the spot to inspect the accident site.
Speaking to media persons during the inspection of the accident site, Madurai collector S Aneesh Sekhar said, “The incident seems to have happened when the workers were on the top of the flyover. And due to sudden collapse, the workers sustained injuries.” According to a Hindu report, the incident occurred due to a snag in the hydraulic jack while it was being used to lift a concrete girder. The worker’s hand got caught in the girder and he fell down, leading to fatal injuries.
“The fire and rescue service personnel are clearing the debris and are checking if there are more injured persons at the site,” added the Collector.
Besides the fire and rescue service personnel, 108 ambulances were also rushed to the spot.
Meanwhile, as per a TOI report from November 2019, the 7.3 km-long flyover, being constructed at the cost of Rs 694 crore, was supposed to be completed in November 2020. It was primarily constructed to minimise the travelling distance between Trichy and Madurai districts. However, the construction of the flyover was hit due to the pandemic. This project by the National Highway Authority India (NHAI) is being constructed with 189 girder pillars for support, added the TOI report.
