Odisha cement plant mishap: 64 workers rescued, three remain untraced

Soon after the incident, workers and family members of those who were working at the site gathered outside the plant

As many as 64 trapped workers were rescued under the debris after a coal hopper (iron structure) collapsed inside a cement factory at Rajgangpur in Odisha’s Sundargarh district on Thursday night, police said.

People gather outside the Dalmia Cement factory after an incident of hopper collapse. (PTI photo)

Three workers, Susant Rout, Dasaratha Patra, and Ranjit Bhol, remain trapped inside and efforts are underway to rescue them.

The incident occurred when a coal hopper, used for storing large quantities of coal before it is moved to a boiler, gave way, leading to the workers getting trapped beneath tons of debris.

After the rescue operation, 64 of them have already been rescued but three remain missing. They are all local labourers and have been identified

The rescue operation is on, and we will make every effort to rescue them,” said Jagabandhu Mallick, Rajgangpur Tehsildar.

Western Range DIG Brijesh Rai said six firefighter and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams are engaged in rescue operations.

Following the accident, the company’s gates were shut, leading to unrest among the colleagues and family members of those affected.

Company officials said they are prioritising the search and rescue operations.

“We have started internal investigation regarding the mishap. Safety protocols are under review to prevent future occurrences,” said a company official.