RAIPUR: A silo of a smelting plant collapsed in Chhattisgarh’s Mungeli district on Thursday, killing one worker, injuring another and trapping at least four to five others. Rescuers fear the toll may rise.
Actual numbers are hard to get as the concrete and metal debris was extremely hot, and rescuers hadn’t been able to access the site properly till 8.30pm. “The ash inside the silo is a searing 112 degrees Celsius. We are trying to empty it so that the structure can be removed to check what lies under it. Cranes and other heavy equipment have been deployed to speed up the operation,” Bilaspur range IG Sanjeev Shukla told TOI.
“According to the factory management, a supervisor and another labourer haven’t been seen since the incident occurred. It’s feared they are trapped under the debris,” the IG added. The mishap took place at a private smelting plant near Rambod and Saragaon villages, some 60km from Mungeli district headquarters and 100km from Raipur. The plant is undergoing expansion, and it’s not yet known if the silo was a recent addition.
Mungeli SP Bhojram Patel, who was on the spot, told TOI: “The silo was an iron structure used to store huge quantities of hot ash. It suddenly came crashing down, trapping at least 4-5 persons.”
Two labourers were pulled out and admitted to a hospital in Bilaspur, 35km away. “One of them died and the other is in a critical condition,” IG Shukla said.
“The debris is being removed to find out if more people are trapped, but its sheer weight, over 70 tonnes, and the hot ash are proving challenging. It will take some time to cool down. The rescue will likely continue through the night,” the SP added.
