BHUBANESWAR: Roof of the under-construction Link Building between terminal one and two at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) collapsed on Friday night. At least one worker is believed to have been trapped while another was hospitalised.
There are reports of more workers being trapped in the mishap site but no clear picture emerged even as firefighters, police, Central Industrial Security Force and ambulances rushed to the airport to remove the debris and assess the damage to human life and property. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also joined the operation.
Sources said the helper of a construction vehicle driver who was stationed on the roof of the building when it came crumbling down have been missing.
The helper is still believed to be trapped under the debris while the driver was rescued and sent to the Capital Hospital.
The roof of the building was being laid when the incident took place at around 10.30 pm raising questions on the quality of construction work.
The CISF and Airport Authority of India officials cordoned off the building and access to the site was restricted. No one was available for comment.
Construction work of the Link Building was assigned to City-based Dilip Construction Ltd. It's MD Dilip Khatio said the mishap took place when the roof of one part of the building was being laid in the evening.
About a dozen workers who were sitting on the roof of another portion of the structure were unhurt, he claimed. “We are looking at centering and shuttering systems which may have led to the incident,” Khatoi said.
Minister for Science and Technology Ashok Chandra Panda, also the local MLA, visited the spot and said rescue and relief work was being emphasised. “Why the building collapsed will be ascertained when the probe takes place. The priority now is on the removal of the debris and rescue operations,” he said.
Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena also rushed to the spot to coordinate relief and rescue operations.
The link building between Terminal 1 (domestic) and Terminal 2 (international) was being built at a cost of Rs 87 crore as part of the expansion plan of the airport.
Foundation stone for the building, spread over 12,000 sq ft, was laid by Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan in February last year.