By IANS,
New Delhi : At least two people were killed and 30 injured when part of an under-construction flyover of the Delhi Metro collapsed here Sunday morning, officials said. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said it will review all construction activities that are underway in Phase-II.
The accident occurred at around 7 a.m. in Laxmi Nagar locality of east Delhi when a launcher machine joining prefabricated, heavy concrete structures between two pillars “collapsed”, leading to a part of the flyover coming down, DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal said.
A Blueline bus plying on route number 39, a crane of the construction company, one truck and a few cars were trapped under the debris of the flyover.
The bus driver, Surender Pal Singh, 28, and a worker of AFCONS (private construction company in charge of the segment) Chhote Lal, 25, were killed in the accident.
“They had to be extracted with difficulty from under the debris,” Dayal said.
Nearly 30 people were injured and were rushed to hospital. The condition of three of them is said to be serious.
Three cranes were pressed into service to clear the area and restore traffic movement from Preet Vihar to ITO. Scores of police, Delhi Fire service personnel, Civil Defence volunteers and locals were involved in rescue operations.
“This has happened for the first time in the decade-old history of Delhi Metro. We are asking AFCONS (the private construction company in-charge of the segment) about the technical failure,” said Vijay Anand, director, Delhi Metro.
A high-level technical inquiry has been ordered by Delhi Metro, which will include a structural expert from Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, an international structural consultant and the chief engineer (design) of DMRC.
“The DMRC has sealed the site office of the contractor in question, namely M/s. AFCONS, and seized all their inspection reports and other documents connected with this incident,” Dayal said.
He added that DMRC will review all construction activities underway in Phase-II over 125 km.
DMRC has announced a compensation of Rs.500,000 each for the family of those killed and Rs.50,000 for the injured.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: “It’s an unusual accident and everything will come out after the enquiry. Delhi Metro has a very good record but we will find out who is responsible for the mishap.”
Delhi Metro, the modern mass transport system in the capital, ferries over 700,000 passengers daily over a network of 65 km. Work is on in the Second Phase to construct another 125 km of metro network before the 2010 Commonwealth Games.