Thirteen labourers were reportedly injured after a scaffolding on which they stood to work at a power plant in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra District in India collapsed.
The company, in a letter addressed to the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident.
According to the factory manager of Lanco Anpara Power Ltd, S K Dwived, the iron structure collapsed at about 2.45am on Sunday during maintenance work.
While eight labourers were discharged after treatment, another five were in a serious condition and had been admitted to a government hospital, he explained.
Out of the five labourers in hospital, three sustained head injuries, one suffered a broken hand and another fractured his leg, Dwivedi said.
“All are out of danger,” he added.
Dismissing reports in a section of media about a boiler blast at the power plant, Dwivedi narrated: “The unit was closed for maintenance since March 22 and the maintenance work will go on for around one month. The scaffolding on which the labourers were standing suddenly came down. Luckily, they were wearing helmets and no labourer was standing beneath them.
“The company will conduct an internal inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and directed the additional chief secretary (Energy) to probe the matter.
Adityanath said the probe should fix responsibility for the incident and effective action should be taken at the earliest time.
He also directed the local administration to ensure that the injured received proper treatment.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com