Bhubaneswar: Two persons were killed and as many are battling with death at SCB Medical College and Hospital following a tragedy which unfolded at Chhatra Bazar area in Cuttack on Wednesday evening.
The mishap took place during the rush hour when people flock Chhatra Bazar for vegetables. At one end of the century-old bridge in the area, a water tank was placed on an unauthorised structure.
Workers engaged in the renovation of Taladanda Canal were seated under this unauthorised structure when it collapsed, all of a sudden. There were around a dozen people below when the untoward incident occured.
Several of them were trapped under tonnes of earth and concrete, while others managed to escape being buried below the debris. First responders in form of locals, Fire Department, police and ODRAF personnel rushed for rescue, but the damage had been done.
One person was killed on the spot while another breathed his last at SCB MCH. Two persons have sustained serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at the trauma unit of SCB. The number of injured persons might rise, as rescue and evacuation are wrapped up by Wednesday night.
“It was an unfortunate incident at a site where construction work was on halt. The unauthorised structure at one end of an ancient bridge and a water tank on top of it, should have been demolished. This structure collapsed leading to a mishap. A full-pronged inquiry will be carried out to fix responsibility,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
While senior officials of district administration, police, and the other departments which were involved in construction work at the site termed the tragedy as ‘accidental’, locals claimed it was preventable. At least the lives could have been saved if safety precautions were adhered to, they said.
“Why was an unauthorised structure allowed to be constructed and how could it remain there going unnoticed by the local officials? Such tragedies can be averted if the authorities concerned remain vigilant at least for construction sites and precarious structures in their vicinity,” a senior citizen of Bajrakabati area, who witnessed the incident, said.
