Cuttack: At least three persons, including an engineer and two workers, died after a concrete slab fell on them during the construction work of a bridge over the Kathajodi River here Saturday, police said.
Two others suffered critical injuries in the incident, they said.
Locals and police personnel rushed to the accident site and rescued the workers, Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said.
“The crane malfunctioned while lifting the huge concrete slab that fell on the workers and the site engineer,” he said.
The DCP said the exact cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertained.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Police and other rescue teams are at the spot, and further investigation is underway, he added.
Majhi also expressed grief over the deaths and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
“The CM has also announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased. He has also announced free medical treatment to those injured in the accident and ordered an inquiry,” the CMO said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Cuttack Mayor and opposition BJD leader Subhas Singh, who visited the injured workers at SCB Medical College and Hospital, alleged that the mishap was an outcome of gross negligence on the part of the government.
PTI
