1 Died, 16 Injured as Under-construction Police Training Building Collapses in MP

Bhopal: One person killed and nearly 16 others suffered serious injuries after an under construction building of the Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) in Bhopal collapsed on Thursday night.

Soon after the mishap, a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the spot and carried out the rescue operations.

A senior police officer said, "Many believed to be trapped and the rescue operation is underway. The deceased was identified as Matlu Koda."

"We are investigating the cause of mishap and action will be taken if someone is found guilty of providing inferior construction materials," he said.

Superintendent of Police (South) Siddharth Bahuguna said that a Delhi based company was engaged in constructing the building and badminton court as to be developed on the third floor where the mishap took place. The officer said that a case has been registered and the probe would look into the slackness angle as well.

The laying of beam was underway on the third floor of Central Police Training Academy in Kanhasaiya area when the mishap took place, a labourer said adding that at the time of incident, close to 300 labourers were present in the building.

The labourers had witnessed the crack in the beam but before they could run for safety the beam crashed and fell on the ground floor damaging other floors as well. The 17 helpless labourers fell down 30 feet sustaining injures.

The injured were rushed to hospital in private vehicles. One of the injured –Matlu Koda, a native of Bihar died on way to hospital.

Most of the victims are residents of Chhattisgarh who had come to Bhopal to work as labourers.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to next to kin of the deceased, Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those injured with minor injuries.

One of the labourers Ganesh Uike said the he was cooking food inside his shanty when he heard a loud thud. As I out, I saw portion of building crashed on the ground and people crying for help under the debris, he said.