Metro flyover collapses in Delhi, 5 dead

Sunday , Jul 12, 2009
source:http://www.zeenews.com

At least five people were killed and 20 others injured on Sunday in a major mishap at an under-construction site of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in the national capital.

The accident occurred near Lady Shri Ram College in Zamroodpur in South Delhi at around 5:00 am, when a part of the pillar of the Metro project collapsed and with it concrete slabs (flyover) being laid with the help of a launcher came crashing down on the ground. Nearly 30 labourers were working at the site at the time of the mishap.

Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said a site engineer and four labourers were killed and 20 others injured in the incident. Of the four dead labourers, the bodies of the two are still trapped under the debris at the accident site.

The injured were rushed to the AIIMS, Safdarjung and Moolchand hospitals, he said, adding some of them have already been discharged.

The Delhi Metro spokesperson attributed the accident to a "problem in the design" of the pillar. "We are investigating the matter. It appears that there is a problem in the design of the pillar of the bridge and we were trying to rectify it," he said.

"The incident took place between pillars 66 and 67 when the pillar cap was affected. Ten segments were to be erected on the stretch of which five had been completed. When the sixth segment was being erected, the launching girder collapsed due to disbalance causing a portion of the bridge to fall," Dayal explained.

Thirty workers of Gammon India Ltd, DMRC's contractor at the site, were present of which 20 have been affected, Dayal said.

To ensure smooth rescue operations, police have barricaded the area around the site and traffic has been diverted to different routes and situation will normalise by 6.00 am Monday, he said further. Electricity supply has also been cut to ensure smooth functioning of the cranes.

The accident also caused flooding in the area as the pillar fell on a water pipeline which burst.

Construction site workers alleged that the pillars on which the bridge was to be hoisted were faulty.

"There were cracks in the pillar and we had warned the contractor and officials, but they paid no heed," said a construction labourer.

Mayor Kanwar Sain was present at the site and said: "The Delhi Metro projects are going at a fast pace and the quality of work is being compromised. An enquiry is necessary."

Dayal said the rescue operations are being monitored by a team of 100 DMRC engineers and DMRC managing director E Sreedharan was on his way from Bangalore.

"He will be visiting the site. Investigations are on," he said.

Rescue operations are underway and six cranes as well as gas cutter machines have been put into use to get through the debris.

The bridge was on the Central Secretariat to Badarpur corridor of the Delhi Metro which was slated to be completed by September 2010. DMRC was scheduled to complete the 190-km Phase II of the Delhi Metro by October 2010 and construction was on in full swing to ensure that deadlines were met.

In a similar incident in October last year, two persons were killed and 16 others injured when a portion of an under-construction bridge of the Delhi Metro collapsed and fell on a bus on Vikas Marg in East Delhi's Lakshmi Nagar area.

Action will be taken: CM

Terming the incident as unfortunate Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that action will definitely be taken against the contractors, in this case M/s Gammon India.

"My heart goes out to all those who have lost their lives. The victims' families will certainly be compensated and investigation will be conducted," the CM said.

She is scheduled to hold a meeting with DMRC chief E Sreedharan later in the day and discuss the issue.

DMRC opens helpline

A public helpline has been set up to provide necessary information related to the collapse of the under-construction bridge of the Delhi Metro.

The helpline -- 011-23414461 -- has been operationalised, Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal told reporters.

"The helpline will give the people all information about the accident," he said.