According to the Mungeli district's Superintendent of Police Bhojram Patel, the incident occurred at the Kusum Smelters Private Limited which is located near Rambod village in Sargaon. Visuals from the spot showed heavy machinery and manual labour were being deployed to remove the debris and locate survivors.
One labourer was killed and another injured while several others are feared trapped under the rubble after a silo collapsed at a steel plant in Chhattisgarh's Mungeli district on Thursday. The injured workers have been shifted to a hospital in Bilaspur.
According to Mungeli Superintendent of Police Bhojram Patel, the incident occurred at the Kusum Smelters Private Limited which is located near Rambod village in Sargaon. After being alerted, police reached the spot and a rescue operation was launched, the official said.
Visuals from the spot showed heavy machinery and manual labour were being deployed to remove the debris and locate survivors. "Three to four persons might be trapped in the debris and a rescue operation using cranes and gas cutters is underway," Patel informed.
As per preliminary information, the silo – an iron structure used to store bulk materials – crashed, trapping under it some workers present at the site.
Responding to the tragic incident, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said relief and rescue work is underway at war footing at accident site and the situation is being continuously monitored.
“Sad news of an industrial accident has been reported at the smelters plant located in Rambod village of Mungeli district. Soon after being informed about the incident, necessary instructions were given to the senior officials for relief and rescue work.
“The rescue work is going on at war footing at the site. It is also being continuously monitored. I pray to God for the safety of the workers trapped under the debris and the speedy recovery of the injured,” Sai said in a post on 'X'.
Speaking to ANI, Chhattisgarh Minister Lakhan Lal Dewangan said, "We do not have complete data yet but we have received information about 5-6 workers being trapped. The district administration team, police and labour department officials have reached the spot and rescue work is going on. Certainly, strict action will be taken on whatever shortcomings will be found."
The tragic incident in Chhattisgarh came days after nine coal mine workers got stranded in Umrangso in Dima Hasao district of Assam. As per the statement issued by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, the labourers were trapped in the mine after a "sudden gush of water" flooded the site.
The body of one of the workers was recovered on Wednesday.
NDRF is conducting a joint rescue operation with Army. Air Force helicopters have also joined the rescue operation. SDRF teams, Assam Rifles divers and medical teams, along with Engineers Task Force are also present.