india

Updated: Jun 18, 2019 07:51 IST

Three workers were killed and several others were injured after a sewage water treatment tank of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which was being constructed at Jogappa Layout in Bengaluru, collapsed on Monday.

Nearly 20 other workers who were buried in the debris were rescued by the police, fire and national disaster rescue team personnel and have been admitted to hospitals for treatment.

“The incident occurred around noon when about 50 labourers were working with hollow blocks and cement on centering inside the tank for the sewage treatment plant, spread over a 30-acre plot,” said the official.

Most of the workers are believed to be from West Bengal and Bihar. Of the three workers declared dead, only one has been identified as Krishna, belonging to West Bengal, according to police sources. BWSSB officials said the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) had six units with a capacity to treat 110 MLD of sewage.

“The centering material of the tank, being built by the state-run BWSSB, collapsed when the victims were constructing its ceiling portion at the Jogappa layout in Amruthalli,” a police official said.

Construction of the plant had been awarded after a tender. According to police officials, the mishap is believed to have happened after a pillar supporting a dome developed a crack resulting in the collapse of the centering. BWSSB officials and Karnataka minister for rural development and panchayat raj Krishna Byre Gowda visited the scene.

A case of criminal negligence against the builder has been registered by the police even as a detailed enquiry into the incident has been ordered.