By IANS,
New Delhi : Inderjit Taneja thought an earthquake had struck when he heard an ear-splitting ‘crack’ sound early Sunday morning and rushed out of his house in panic. It was the sound of the crashing down of a huge iron and concrete structure, part of the Delhi Metro’s new route being constructed near his home in south Delhi’s Vikram Vihar.
“It felt like an earthquake had hit us. I came out and saw that the bridge had collapsed and there was commotion all around. People were trying to rescue those trapped under the debris,” Taneja told IANS.
Taneja joined in the rescue operations at the Metro construction site in Zamrudpur near Lady Shri Ram College. Five people were killed and 15 others injured when an underconstruction Metro bridge collapsed at around 5 a.m.
“There were two policemen and together we managed to remove six injured people from the debris,” he said.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials said the accident occurred when a launching girder for a segment of the bridge lost balance.
“It was both scary and dangerous – people were badly injured, their faces distorted… Blood and debris was all over,” Taneja said.
Seema Gupta, a housewife in Vikram Vihar, was asleep when she heard the loud noise.
“There was a sudden jolt. We could not understand what happened. We thought it was an earthquake – many rushed out and we went to the balcony to see – but nothing was clear. At around 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. we saw the news on TV and came down to see what happened,” Seema said. Her house is around 200 metres from the site.
Jaideep, a 24-year-old residing nearby, had gone for his early morning jog in a park some 50 meters away from the site.
“I heard a loud noise. So I came towards the site, but the entrances were closed. I managed to reach there some 10-15 minutes later and found commotion all around. Rescue operations had begun and many injured people drenched in blood were being moved into ambulances,” he said.
Residents said if the accident had occurred later in the day in the congested area the casualties would have been higher. And they didn’t want to contemplate what the impact would have been if the bridge – that has numerous shops just alongside – had tilted when it crashed.
“The place where the bridge fell is along the road’s turning and we take it every day to leave our colony by car. I shudder to think what would have happened if it had occurred during peak traffic hour,” Taneja said
“It is a Sunday so there were thankfully fewer people – but there is a school nearby and children take this route. Moreover, every Saturday a flea market is held here. If the accident had taken place at that time the impact would have been much worse,” he added.
Seema Gupta said: “The bridge fell straight down, but with a slight tilt. It could have crashed into Zamrudpur village that is metres away or on the shops below.”
Sushil Choudhury, a former Delhi legislator who owns the Choudhury Cheese Bazaar near the accident site, said he “had doubts about Metro construction safety”.
“I would not call it a mistake but it is unnerving – the thing could have fallen right onto my shop and office,” he said.