3 labourers die at bullet train site as structure crashes in Gujarat

VADODARA: Three labourers died and one was injured when a temporary structure made of steel and concrete blocks at a Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train construction site collapsed in Rajupura village near Mahi river, close to Vasad town in Gujarat's Anand district, around 5pm on Tuesday.

National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is executing the project, said the steel and concrete blocks being used for carrying out well foundation work fell down, and the workers were trapped underneath.

"Preliminary information suggested four workers were trapped under the concrete blocks, after which our teams carried out a rescue operation," Anand SP Gaurav Jasani told TOI.

Two bodies were found at the site, while two labourers were pulled out from under the rubble and shifted to hospital for treatment, where one of them succumbed, said district fire officer Dharmesh Gor. "The NHSRCL team and villagers helped in the rescue operation, as the concrete blocks were too heavy," he added. Cranes and excavators had to be used to carry out the rescue.

One of the deceased, Ranjit Yadav, was a native of Bihar while the other two, Kanu Dahya Solanki and Prahlal Baria, were from Gujarat's Vasad and Panchmahal, respectively. Yadav and Solanki died on the spot, while Baria died during treatment at SSG Hospital in Vadodara. Authorities said an investigation would be carried out to determine the cause of the accident.

In Aug last year, one worker died and six others were injured when a launching gantry crane crashed at a bullet train construction site in Karjan taluka, around 40 km from Vadodara.