Labour camp balcony collapse kills 1 in Pune

Pune: A labourer was killed and 35 others were injured at IT hub, Hinjewadi, as the balcony of a labour camp where workers were staying collapsed, Sunday night.

The over 1,000 labourers working at a construction site were staying in 80 rooms in temporary houses. According to the police, the quality of construction material used to build the labour camp at the construction site was poor and hence, the balcony, built six months ago, collapsed when just over 35 labourers gathered there. The police has booked three persons, including the safety manager and contractor, on charges including causing death by negligence.

Ashok Gawari, police sub inspector, Hinjewadi, said, “The E block of the labour camp which collapsed has one floor. There are ten rooms on the ground floor and 10 on the first floor. Ten to fifteen labourers were staying in each room. The balcony was four feet wide and 100 feet long.”

“A quarrel broke out outside the labour camp and all labourers in E block stepped into the balcony to see what was happening. As over 40 people gathered in the balcony, it collapsed. With it, the labourers too fell down and one of them died,” he said.

“The balcony was built with poor quality material and could not bear the weight of just 40 labourers due to which it collapsed,” Mr Gawari added.

The labourers were immediately taken to the nearby Hinjewadi hospital. Those who were seriously injured were taken to Lifetime hospital and Aundh hospital. “One labourer died due to multiple injuries,” said Gawari.