Under-construction guest house slab collapses in UP; 8 injured, several feared trapped

LUCKNOW: At least one construction worker was killed, and nine others were injured after the roof slab of an under-construction marriage hall complex collapsed during concreting work in the Haidergarh area of Barabanki district on Saturday evening. The accident, triggered by the failure of the temporary shuttering support system, led to a frantic rescue operation involving district authorities, police, fire services and heavy machinery.The incident occurred at around 7 pm at the construction site located along the Lucknow-Sultanpur National Highway, opposite the Sub-Registrar's office in Haidergarh. Officials said the slab, spread over nearly 3,000 square feet, was being concreted when the wooden props supporting the shuttering suddenly gave way, causing the entire structure to cave in.According to officials, nearly 40 labourers, masons and shuttering workers were engaged at the site when the mishap occurred. The concreting work was in its final stage when the temporary support system collapsed. Seven workers standing beneath the slab were trapped under the debris, while three others working on top of the roof sustained injuries after falling with the collapsing structure, the police said. The collapse triggered panic in the area, drawing a large crowd to the spot, while thirty others escaped and informed the police.

Police and district administration officials rushed to the site and launched a massive rescue operation using JCB excavators and hydra cranes. Rescue teams worked for nearly two-and-a-half hours to remove the debris and extricate the trapped workers.The last worker to be rescued, identified as Naushad (45), a shuttering labourer and resident of Baddapur Majra Tejwapur village under Loni Katra police station, was pulled out from beneath the rubble in a critical condition. He was taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Haidergarh, where doctors declared him dead, confirmed, Superintendent of police, Barabanki, Arpit Vijayvargiya. Among the injured, Ramlakhan (46) of Gauriyapurwa village and Pradeep Kumar (28) of Dhaurhara village, both under Loni Katra police station, sustained serious injuries and were referred to the District Hospital for advanced treatment.The remaining injured—identified as Bhai Lal (32) and Ramsukh (32) of Dhakiya village, Jamuna Prasad (40) of Sarai Chaubey, Mukesh Kumar (26) of Ranapur, Deshraj (35) of Kanhupur, and Sarvesh (45) and Ramhet (40) of Gauriyapurwa—are undergoing treatment at the Haidergarh Community Health Centre.The under-construction marriage hall complex reportedly belongs to KP Singh, a resident of Lucknow and son-in-law of the late Suresh Chandra Chaudhary of Ranapur village near the Haidergarh tehsil headquarters, said Ishan Pratap Singh, DM, Barabanki. Senior district officials, including the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, supervised the rescue operation at the site. “Immediate priority was to rescue all trapped workers and ensure prompt medical treatment for the injured,” said DM Singh. Police sources said that preliminary findings indicate that the collapse was caused by the failure of the wooden props supporting the shuttering during the slab casting. District administration and police launched an inquiry to determine whether safety norms and construction standards were followed at the site.