BENGALURU: A deafening crash, which could be heard across the premises of a warehouse in Kadugodi, alerted security that something was amiss. The warehouse, belonging to supply chain solutions company Holisol Logistics, housed apparel, shoes and other branded items that were distributed across the city and to online retailers. Massive metal racks, used to store these items, had collapsed in a domino effect, trapping eight under merchandise and heavy racks.
“I heard a loud sound and ran inside to see what had happened. More than 200 racks had collapsed. Some employees were jumping out from the gaps between the racks to escape,” said a security guard. The guard told TNIE he managed to drag one employee out, who was severely injured. “Those trapped started screaming. I didn’t want to go inside again as I feared I would get trapped too,” he said.
According to the guard, Thursday’s incident was inevitable. “Last Friday, some crates fell and they were shifted to other racks instead of being stored elsewhere. The metal racks were not strong enough and were overloaded. Some crates were loaded on to racks without support or being screwed to the ramps,” the guard said. Other staffers TNIE spoke to also said that overloading was an issue.
Senior employees chose to abandon the spot instead of helping. “The incident occurred around 12.15pm. One of us switched off the generator to cut power to the warehouse. The other went to call the supervisor, who alerted the police and rescue teams.
Senior officials from the Fire and Emergency Services said the warehouse had no safety measures in place. According to workers, the warehouse has four doors, of which two were closed, which blocked the exits. “Fire officers tried giving them oxygen, but the space was congested,” an employee said.
TEA BREAK SAVES LIVES
The racks collapsed around 12.20pm, when most of the staffers were on a tea break. “There were 80 of us working at the warehouse, most of us were on a break. Many were not back yet, and were saved,” an employee said.