Seven labourers were killed and one was injured on Wednesday, 14 September, while they were working inside an elevator shaft at an under-construction building in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, according to the police.
Earlier, the police said that eight people died in the incident, but an official later confirmed that one worker was undergoing treatment, reported news agency PTI.
The building was being constructed near the Gujarat University campus in Ahmedabad.
As per the preliminary investigation, the police said that the elevator carrying the workers from the seventh floor crashed to the ground. However, they later confirmed that the workers fell when the structure inside the elevator shaft gave way.
"Six labourers who were working inside the elevator shaft on the 13th floor fell to the ground after the support structure suddenly collapsed. Two others who were working on the fifth floor also fell down after losing balance. Seven of them died while one is undergoing treatment," Assistant Commissioner of Police LB Zala said.
He also said that a preliminary probe revealed that necessary safety measures were not in place, and that appropriate action would be taken if any negligence was found on the part of the contractor.
An eyewitness who was working on the ground floor told reporters that the labourers were natives of the Panchmahal district, adding that they were not wearing any safety gear.
Prime minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to offer his condolences to those who lost their family members in the incident.
"The mishap at an under-construction building in Ahmedabad is saddening," he said.
Delay in Informing Police About the Incident
Ahmedabad Mayor Kirit Parmar said that the incident occurred around 9.30 am, but the police were informed about the same at around 11.30 am, reported PTI.
He also said that the police would take necessary action against the builders if they were found to have violated any laws.
"The builders had taken necessary permissions from the Municipal Corporation to construct the building. But though the incident took place around 9:30 am, our officials were informed around 11:30 am," he added.
"Aspire II is the building where incident happened. It is a private building with a private developer," Parmar told news agency ANI.
Moreover, Jayesh Khadia, Chief Fire Officer of Ahmedabad, also said that the fire department did not receive any calls after the incident.
"We have not received any calls. We learnt about the incident from the media. Our primary analysis suggests that the structure on which these labourers were standing inside the elevator shaft collapsed due to unknown reasons," he said.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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