Click to play videoNew Delhi: Six persons died and 11 were injured in a major mishap that took place at an under-construction site of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in Delhi on early Sunday morning.
A pillar holding up the overhead railway tracks collapsed near Lady Sriram College (LSR) college. As the structure collapsed, the concrete slabs being laid came crashing down.
The crash also burst a water pipeline, causing flooding in the area.
Rescue operations are at the moment focussed on saving one person who is trapped under the debris.
The accident occurred at 0500 hrs IST on an elevated corridor section of an under-construction part of the DMRC project.
The section is located on a road that separates the LSR and a school in a South Delhi.
Rescue efforts are two-pronged. One group is working to save the man who's trapped under the debris. Another group is using a crane to lift the concrete slabs and clear the space.
Hampering the rescue operations is the fact that the area is flooded with water as a major pipeline burst due to the falling structure, flooding the area.
"There is a pillar in this set up that was weak from before and we had brought this to the notice of the DMRC people. But with a few structural repairs, they passed the pillar as feasible and it is they who passed it that are to blame," said Munna, an eyewitness at the site.
Inderpreet, another eyewitness said "We noticed the weakening of structure about 15 days ago. I do not know what they call this orange structure, but it had completely bent over. Only, it did not collapse completely at that time. At that point they used the crane and supported the structure with the pillars. This morning I saw atleast 10 to 15 people working at the structure when the bridge collapsed. I personally rescued six and out of the rest I think at least five were completely dead."
Joint Commissioner of Police (South) Delhi, Ajay Kashyap said, "Pillar number 367 collapsed or partially collapsed and the overhead section which was being erected has fallen down. As a result of this accident, a large number of people who were working on this site have been injured. Three of them have expired in the accident and perhaps a few more bodies are still being extricated. Of the people who are injured, 10 people are serious. Since it was early morning, I am presuming that most of the people affected by this
incident are people who were working on the site. We will be looking at the feedback from the technical experts to advise us on this."
The injured as well those dead have been taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The HOD of the Trauma Centre at AIIMS, Dr M C Mishra said, "We are told that the mishap took place at four in the morning. The patients were brought in at about half past five in the morning. Fifteen labourers were brought in to AIIMS. Out of them, three were brought in dead. We are not aware of their identities. Two of those injured are in a very critical condition and another one is somewhat critical. But out of the rest, two may be permitted to go home in a while as they seem fine. The rest seven will be under observation till the afternoon."
PRO DMRC, Anuj Dayal said DMRC is doing its best to carry out rescue as soon as possible.
"Six cranes of 250 tonnes each and one crane of 400 tonnes have already been mobilised and they are working at the site for rescue operations. In addition, gas cutters have also been deployed and over a 100 engineers are involved in the rescue operations currently. In addition police and civil defence authorities are also providing assistance," Dayal said.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said It is unfortunate that this kind of an accident has happened for the second time. She also added that DMRC should be treating this as a warning. The Delhi CM also assured that her government will be offering a compensation after the consultation with DMRC.
This is not the first time that there has been an accident at the DMRC's Metro Rail project in Delhi. Having earned accolades for its accident -free working record, recent mishaps have tarnished the DMRC's safety record.
- In November last year, a three-year-old was injured when an iron bar from an under-construction pillar fell on her near Moolchand flyover.
- In July last year, a malfunctioning crane at a metro construction site near Ram Manohar Lohia hospital dropped a four tonne iron beam on a passing Tavera car.
- In August 2007, a crane driver died after a concrete block fell on him due to a "technical failure" at a Delhi Metro construction site in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi.
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