Rescue operations were launched after an under-construction building collapsed at the Kannauj railway station. (PTI Photo)

28 workers pulled out from collapsed under-construction building in Kannauj

Kannauj building collapse: A 16-hour-long rescue operation, launched after the collapse of an under-construction building at Kannauj railway station, concluded on Sunday morning after the rescuers pulled out 28 workers safely.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Joint team of NDRF, SDRF and district police rescue 28 workers
  • Injured workers admitted to hospital, undergoing treatment
  • Railways announce compensation for injured workers

All 28 workers, trapped after the collapse of an under-construction building at Kannauj railway station, were pulled out by rescue teams on Sunday morning, following which the 16-hour-long operation was stopped.

According to Railways officials, all the rescued workers have been admitted to a hospital for treatment and no fatalities have been reported.

On Saturday, January 11, afternoon, the shuttering of the under-construction building on the station premises collapsed, trapping the workers. The rescue operation, which included personnel of the national and state disaster response force and the railway, was launched after the incident.

District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla visited the site early on Sunday, expressing relief that no lives were lost in the tragic incident.

CCTV footage from the site has surfaced, showing a labourer attempting to fix the shuttering (a temporary structure used to support concrete) when the roof collapses. The footage suggests that a beam carried by the worker hit the shuttering, causing it to slip and ultimately collapse.

After the incident, the North Eastern Railway (NER) formed a three-member committee to investigate the cause of the collapse. The committee will include the Chief Engineer for Planning and Design, the Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Izzatnagar) and the Chief Security Commissioner of the Railway Protection Force.

The construction was being carried out as part of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), aimed at enhancing the infrastructure of Kannauj Railway Station.

NER officials have announced a compensation for the injured workers: Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries and up to Rs 2.5 lakh for those with serious injuries.

(With PTI inputs)