One killed, three injured after portico ceiling collapses at St. Martha’s Hospital

The victims were stuck for several minutes under the debris of the collapsed portico, before Fire and Emergency Services personnel rescued them

A 24-year-old labourer was killed and three others injured when a part of an under-construction portico at St. Martha's Hospital on Nrupatunga Road collapsed on them while they were working in the early hours of Tuesday.

The victims were stuck for several minutes under the debris of the collapsed portico, before Fire and Emergency Services personnel rescued and shifted them to the hospital where one of them, Basavaraj succumbed. St. Martha’s Hospital, in a statement, said one of the four was found to be unresponsive at the site of accident and attempts to resuscitate him were ongoing. However, he later succumbed to death, police sources said.

The other injured Moinuddin, Chand Pasha and Rafisab, are being treated at the hospital and said to be out of danger. St. Martha’s Hospital in a statement said one of them had minor injuries, the other had fractured his leg and the third was critically injured but was revived and was undergoing treatment.

Rafisab, one among the injured, a mason, was water-proofing the site when the rooftop collapsed . The victims are from Raichur and were working as daily wagers under a contractor.

Three Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the spot and with the help of a crane removed the debris and rescued the victims trapped inside. They were shifted to the Intensive Care Unit of the same hospital where they are being treated.

Senior officials including the in-charge DCP S.D. Sharanappa visited the spot and supervised the rescue operations. The jurisdictional police have taken up a case of death due to negligence and are probing further. The construction of the portico started two months ago and the victims were working at the site when part of the portico collapsed on them at around 6.30 a.m. The initial probe revealed that the accident occurred due to an overload and the wrong placement of supporting pillars.

The contractor, engineer and the supervisior of the site have been summoned by the police for questioning to ascertain the exact reason for the accident. The hospital termed the incident as unfortunate and said that the victims are being treated and revived. The work of OPD portico renovation was given on contract and the contractor concerned have been called seeking an explanation.