Two laborers were killed and one seriously injured when soil buried them under construction at the Elite Medicity Hospital being built in A block of Aerocity. Shuttering work was going on at the site at the time of the accident.
The excavation was about 15 feet deep, and the resulting soil was stored sideways. After the accident, the police reached the spot and started investigation. A police investigation was ongoing at the time of writing this report. Block head Krishna Chand said that the block is just behind the hospital, and the road is about 60 feet wide. A 15 feet deep excavation was done in the green belt beside the road. The excavated soil was also stored on the side. After protests from residents of that block, the wall was built. Sidewalks are also on the side of the road.
Shuttering work was in progress on the connecting wall of A block.
According to Pradhan, the wall that is being built connects Block A. Shuttering work was going on on this wall. It was decided to do the shuttering work on Friday as well. During this time, a landslide caused an accident. According to A block minister Krishna Chand, two people died in the accident, while one worker was seriously injured and admitted to hospital. He said that one worker died on the spot. Later, when the soil was removed, the body of another worker was found.
The soil was settling first and sank further after the rains.
Krishna Chand explained that the excavation site was already experiencing soil erosion and soil deposition. Wednesday’s rains also deposited soil in the ground. However, construction continued. According to the village chief, construction continued every night. The work was being done by a contractor.
Police has started investigation, FIR may be filed against contractor soon.
After receiving information about the accident, the police reached the spot and started an investigation. They are investigating the cause of the accident as well as safety measures at the construction site. The investigation was ongoing at the time of writing this report. Sources suggest that if the investigation reveals negligence on the part of the contractor, an FIR may be lodged against him.
The SIT will investigate the accident including the hospital and security arrangements.
DSP City-2 Harsimran Singh Bal said that the SSP is forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. The SIT will probe the cause of the accident and also determine who owns the hospital and which contractor was supervising the construction work.
The contractor will also be questioned. An inspection will also be carried out to determine whether necessary safety measures were taken at the construction site. The DSP said that only two workers were buried under the soil at the time of the accident. He added that the exact cause of the accident would be clear only after investigation.
A family member said the mudslide was caused by the impact of the truck
A family member of the deceased said that a truck was passing nearby at the time of the accident. The accident is suspected to be due to soil erosion caused by the collision of the truck. He added that both the laborers were earning a daily wage of around Rs 500-600. A large pile of soil was created at the construction site, estimated to be about 50 feet high.