Hyderabad: At least 12 workers were injured, two of them seriously, after an under-construction portico at the University of Hyderabad‘s (UoH) new administration building collapsed late on Thursday evening.
According to Gachibowli police, the incident took place around 8.30 pm when a portion of the porch collapsed on the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) workers employed at the site. The workers, cops added, fell from a height of over 25 feet and got trapped under the debris.
A case is being registered against the contractor for negligence, said Gachibowli police station SHO Mohd Habubullah Khan. “We have also taken the site supervisor into custody for questioning,” the officer added.
Construction of the new structure began eight months ago.
As per fire department officials, three workers were trapped under the debris. “In fact, one worker remained entrapped for an extended duration as he was ensnared in concrete. Due to acute breathing difficulties, he was rushed to hospital . All of them are migrant workers,” said the official.
Some of the injured were given first aid at the university health centre and discharged. Nine others were sent to a private hospital in Gachibowli for treatment, UoH officials said.
When TOI visited the injured at the hospital, it found two workers with serious head injuries while others had minor injuries, fractures etc. Their condition was stable.
“We were almost done for the day. In another 15 minutes we were to leave the site when suddenly this slab collapsed. We are thankful to be alive,” said one of the injured workers still covered in cement. The condition of the others at the hospital was much the same.
“While finishing the portico work, an accidental contact between the boom pump — used for transferring liquid concrete onto the slab — and the scaffolding resulted in the collapse of the temporary support structure,” said Manas Kumar Dey, executive engineer, CPWD, Hyderabad.
UoH students, who accompanied the workers to the hospital, said Telangana Fire Disaster Response team removing the debris from the site.
Meanwhile, the university officials said that they have asked the contractor to explain in detail what really happened at the site. “We will decide the future course of action based on that,” said a senior UoH official.
