A major mishap was averted when the heavy steel frame structure erected for constructing a concrete pillar of the Kochi Metro Rail collapsed during the heavy traffic rush at Kaloor here on Monday. Two employees of Soma Construction, the company undertaking the work at the site, suffered minor injuries in the incident and were taken to a nearby hospital.
According to workers at the site, the structure made of iron pipes, which had been erected to support the main steel frame for construction of the pillar, could not take the weight and fell to one side.
“The incident occurred around 9.30 pm when the workers were preparing the steel structure for concreting works, which were scheduled to begin over the next two days. The structure made of iron pipes which was meant to support the steel frame, could not withstand the weight, and the entire structure collapsed. Fortunately, the two men working on the steel frame, did not suffer major injuries,” an employee said.
Some of the eye witnesses said that when the steel frame collapsed, there were vehicles on the road.
“Though the frame bent to one side, it did not fell on any vehicle. Immediately afterwards, workers closed one side of the road, from Manapattiparambu to Kaloor, to prevent any mishap,” an eye witness said.
The sight supervisor of the construction company said that the route will be cleared by midnight. “There was a slight delay on the part of KSEB officials in disconnecting the power connection, which in turn delayed the straightening of the steel frame. But as soon as KSEB officials arrived, we started the work and the frame was put back in order using a crane and the traffic was restored,” he said.
According to him, the soil in the area is rather loose, due to which the supportive structure could not withstand the weight of the heavy steel frame.