Four labourers were critically injured after an under-construction portico at St Martha’s Hospital in Bengaluru collapsed on Tuesday, police said. The workers were trapped under debris for several hours before they were rescued and admitted to the same hospital on Nrupatunga Road.
Deputy commissioner of police S Sharanappa said: “A portico was under construction at Martha’s Hospital, which comes under the Ulsoor Gate police station. Around 6.15 am, this structure collapsed. Four men were working on the top of the portico when the accident happened and got trapped under the debris. They are undergoing treatment at the hospital.”
The officer said a case was registered and the reason for the accident will be known after an investigation. “All workers are from Raichur district. They have been working in Bengaluru for several years. We have identified them as Moinudeen, Chand Pasha, Mohammad Rafeeq and Basavaraj. We have been told by hospital authorities that all of them are out of danger,” said Sharanappa.
According to hospital officials, one of the injured is undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit. Davy Ollakengil, chief medical officer at St Martha’s Hospital, said the hospital will bear the cost of the entire treatment expenditure and related expenses of all four labourers. “The work started around four months ago and the portico was proposed to help outpatients who have to wait for a long time.”
A senior official of the fire and emergency services department said from the initial inspection, it appeared that the portico developed a crack and collapsed. “We haven’t been able to talk to the labourers. So, it is unclear whether they were standing on top and under it when it fell down. We received the call around 6.30 am and by 10 am, we are able to rescue three of them. To rescue the last person, Basavaraj, it took time,” a district fire officer rank officer said on condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}A senior official of the fire and emergency services department said from the initial inspection, it appeared that the portico developed a crack and collapsed. “We haven’t been able to talk to the labourers. So, it is unclear whether they were standing on top and under it when it fell down. We received the call around 6.30 am and by 10 am, we are able to rescue three of them. To rescue the last person, Basavaraj, it took time,” a district fire officer rank officer said on condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Looks like the ceiling developed a crack before giving away. We will speak to our engineers to understand what went wrong. We tried breaking the concrete using cutters we had but eventually, we had to use earthmovers and cranes. By 1 pm, we were able to finish the entire operation,” he said.
Shanmugappa, a labourer from Raichur and friend of the injured, said he had taken a break when the accident took place. “By the time we came, they were under the debris,” he said.
Saad Pasha, a relative of one of the injured, said the family received a call around 7 am informing them about the incident.
“My brother-in-law Rafeeq for work came around 5 am and around 7 am I got a call from my hometown that Rafeeq has met with an accident. He was working at the hospital for a few days and had undertaken some other work as well. We are yet to hear from the hospital on his health condition,” Pasha said.