One person was killed and 11 injured when a portion of an under-construction flyover caved in the busy Bomikhal area of the city on Sunday afternoon.
The accident took place around 12.30 p.m. when a 40-ft-long span of the bridge was being roofed. The centering used to support the concrete slab suddenly broke. Workers deployed on the bridge to help with the concreting fell down.
Tragedy struck Satya Patnaik (41), a businessman of city’s Jharpada area, who was crossing the area with his daughter, Sheetal (8), by a scooter. The victim was returning home after picking his daughter from a dance class. The iron bars hit him on the head, leading to this death. His pillion-riding daughter escaped, but with serious injuries.
The National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Odisha Fire Service personnel were deployed for the rescue operation. A canine squad of the NDRF was engaged to search for those trapped in the debris. “The loss was minimal as it was a Sunday,” said Hemant Kumar Parida, an eyewitness.
Promising action against those found guilty, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the deceased and promised to bear the cost of treatment cost of the injured.
