Three labourers were killed, 14 others injured and four were buried under the rubble after the roof of an under-construction school building collapsed in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district Sunday afternoon, officials said.
While a worker succumbed to his injuries at the district hospital, two others also died later at the hospital.
Rescue operations are underway at the site in Roza area of Shahjahanpur. The administration has placed two generators to provide light in the area and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had been called.
“Our first priority is to evacuate the workers who are still buried under the debris. We are taking the help of the state disaster management team and locals to carry out the rescue work,” district magistrate Amrit Tripathi said.
As per initial information, around 30 workers were engaged in construction work in the building when the roof collapsed.
The district officials are trying to identify all the workers. “We are listing each worker with the help of the contractor,” said Tripathi
The rescue team is being assisted by local police and district health department.
{{/usCountry}}The rescue team is being assisted by local police and district health department.
{{/usCountry}}“We have also alerted the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The NDRF team has also been asked to bring in advanced equipment to rescue people from under the concrete,” Tripathi said.
“The rescue work will continue till all the workers are rescued from the rubble. Additional support as advised by the NDRF team will also be provided,” he added.
The district magistrate expressed appreciation for the local residents who not only informed the authorities about the accident promptly but also joined the rescue efforts.
“Local residents, especially youngsters, proved to be a very vital element of the rescue operation. They are assisting our team in removing the rubble, shifting equipment and in other work,” he said.
The construction of building in the premises of a primary school started in September.
According to locals, the work was carried out in haste to complete the building by the next academic session. However, the district officials declined to comment on the reasons behind the incident.
“We have decided to form a committee to investigate the incident. We are not in a position to say anything further in this regard at this moment,” the district magistrate said.