Curious onlookers hamper swift rescue operations

BHUBANESWAR: The mishap site turned chaotic with Bhubaneswar Police failing to respond to the crisis. As hundreds of onlookers trooped into area, the site was free for all. So much so that the authorities found it difficult to swiftly carry out the rescue operation. The drivers of the cranes, JCBs and fire tenders had to toil hard to reach the spot amidst a sea of crowd, many of whom gathered to get a selfie.

As traffic to the route was not restricted, Commissionerate Police had a tough time controlling the curious crowd. After failing to vacate the area for more than two hours, the city cops barricaded the accident site with ropes. Later, a jeep with a public address system was used to request the cowd to not obstruct the rescue operations.

The onlookers gathered there could be seen filming the entire rescue operations possibly to share it later with their family and friends as the city cops were mere mute spectators.
Though the incident occurred at about 12 noon, the Inspectors of nearby police stations arrived only after 1 pm and by then crowd management had turned into a tough task. To make matters worse, political leaders made a beeline accompanied by their aides compounding the problems.