Under-construction flyover collapses, 1 killed

Bhubaneswar: A labourer was killed and another critically injured when a portion of an under-construction flyover caved in at Bomikhal area here tonight, police said. Around eight labourers were working at the site when the incident occurred.

“One labourer has died and another sustained serious injuries in the incident,” Khorda District Collector Nirmal Mishra said after visiting the site. The victim has been identified as Ajay Vumicha (38) of Sundergarh. He died in the capital hospital while the injured man, Ananda Kumar Nayak, was shifted to a private hospital, the police said.

A fire brigade team and local residents launched a rescue operation soon after the accident. The collector said a high-level inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident.

A labourer said that iron railings were being installed for a pillar when its support snapped and it collapsed. Some of them got trapped under the railing. The incident occurred close to the site where a portion of an over bridge had collapsed in September last year, leaving a man dead and ten others injured.

The incident has sparked tension in the area with activists of political parties including the Congress and the BJP staging separate demonstrations. A police force was deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident, the police said .