BHUBANESWAR: In a tragic incident, a labourer died and two others sustained critical injuries during demolition of an old house at Lingaraj Vihar area within Airport police limits here on Tuesday evening.
About seven to eight labourers were trying to raze the second floor of the building when the ceiling beam collapsed at around 7 pm. Three were trapped in the rubble.
On receiving information, Odisha Fire and Emergency Service personnel rushed to the spot and deployed advanced equipment like lifting bag to rescue the injured labourers.
They have been identified as Dharanidhar Dutta (45) and Sisir Kumar Dutta (42), both natives of Balasore and Abdul Nauda (25) of West Bengal. The trio was immediately shifted to a hospital. While Dharanidhar succumbed, Sisir and Abdul sustained serious injuries and are undergoing treatment.
Police sources said a new owner purchased the two-storey house recently and its demolition work was being carried out by a contractor since the last eight to 10 days.
“One labourer died and two others sustained injuries. A case will be registered and further action will be taken accordingly,” said Airport police station IIC, Rabindranath Meher. Sources said police are investigating why the demolition work was continuing till late in the evening. One team of the Odisha Fire Service, striking force and a dog squad were pressed into the rescue operation which continued for over 25 minutes.