Gandhinagar, September 10 (TNA) At least 15 construction workers were feared trapped after a portion of an under-construction commercial building collapsed in the Kudasan area of Gandhinagar on Wednesday night, triggering a large-scale rescue operation that continued into the early hours of Thursday.
The accident took place around 9–9.30 pm when a large metal/iron slab being erected between two units of the Bosky The Empire commercial complex gave way, trapping workers underneath, officials said. Fire department teams, local police and emergency responders rushed to the site and began clearing debris with cranes and cutting equipment to reach those believed to be stuck.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, who visited the spot, said 15 workers had been rescued from the rubble and that the debris-clearing operation would continue through the night to ensure no one remained trapped. According to a late-night update from the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital superintendent, 12 injured workers were admitted for treatment, none of them in critical condition, and three had already been discharged.
Initial reports had suggested that 10–15 workers might have been at the site when the slab collapsed, and that several could still be under the debris, but site managers and supervisors later told authorities that no one remained trapped. MLA Alpesh Thakore told media persons around midnight that 13 people had been pulled out so far, while other officials put the number of rescued workers at 15.
No fatalities were reported till late Wednesday night, and officials said the focus was now on completing the search, treating the injured and launching an inquiry into the cause of the collapse.