The 16-hour-long rescue operation at Kannauj Railway Station following a building collapse concluded early Sunday morning, with rescuers successfully saving 28 workers who were trapped under the debris. All the rescued workers were immediately admitted to a hospital for treatment, and no fatalities have been reported, officials confirmed.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the shuttering of an under-construction building at the station premises collapsed, trapping the workers inside. The collapse happened while the workers were engaged in construction work under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project, aimed at improving the infrastructure of Kannauj Railway Station.
Rescue operation
Teams from the National and State Disaster Response Forces, along with railway personnel, worked throughout the night to clear the debris and rescue the trapped workers. District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukl visited the site on Sunday morning and expressed relief that no lives had been lost in the tragic incident.
CCTV footage from the site shows a labourer attempting to fix the shuttering when the roof collapses. The footage suggests that a beam being carried by the worker may have caused the shuttering to slip and ultimately collapse.
Investigation and compensation
The North Eastern Railway (NER) has set up 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.
In response to the incident, NER officials have announced ex gratia compensation for the injured workers. Workers with minor injuries will receive Rs 50,000, while those with serious injuries will be compensated with up to Rs 2.5 lakh.
(With PTI Inputs)