25 injured after wedding pandal collapses on workers near JLN stadium in Delhi

The collapsed temporary structure that was being installed for a wedding ceremony. (Express File Photo)

More than 25 persons were left injured on Saturday after a temporary structure (pandal) being installed for a wedding near a gate of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, officers said.

DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said police received a call around 11 am that a pandal, being set up for a wedding ceremony near the stadium’s gate number 2, had fallen.

He said, “It was found that 25 to 30 persons were trapped under the fallen structure which was being set up for the wedding event… all of them were rushed to the hospital. A total of 18 persons were rushed to AIIMS while 11 persons were sent to the Safdarjung Hospital. All are currently stable while one of them has been discharged.”

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An official said the tent was being erected for the wedding of a south Delhi-based businessman’s daughter, scheduled for February 24.

The whole structure was put up by a private contractor, he said, adding around 250 people had been working for the past 10 days to put up the tent.

Police said sportspersons practising at the stadium also helped rescue the trapped workers. On the reason behind the collapse, an officer said that the steel rods on which the structure was based was installed without appropriate support, due to which it became weak and collapsed.

A police officer said a case under IPC sections 288 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) has been registered against the contractor at the Lodhi Colony police station.

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The DCP said that the event was booked under the name of one Rajesh, adding police are seeking details of the private event organiser. As many as 18 patients injured in the incident have been admitted at the Emergency department of AIIMS, Delhi. While seven of them are severely injured, 11 have moderate injuries, said officials.

The workers admitted at AIIMS have been identified as Ashish, Gopal, Sahil, Sameer, Nijam, Sujoy, Devdas Haldar, Shantu, Vikram, Amar, Shantanu, Ashok, Kanai, Sujeet, Saai Bula, Shiv Nath and Mahadev.

One injured was yet to be identified, an officer said. Those admitted at Safdarjung Hospital have been identified as Rajendra Das, Raju, Monu Kumar, Raaj Babu, Rajeev, Phoolchand, Ram Pravesh, Ramji Paswan, Mukesh, Mahadev and Guddu Kumar.

  

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