Sambhal/Lucknow. The death toll rose to ten on Friday after the roof of a private cold room collapsed in the area of the Chandausi police station in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh. Zonal Police Deputy Inspector General Shalabh Mathur gave this information. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced compensation of Rs two lakh to the relatives of each person killed in the accident.
death toll in #sambhal Roof collapse incident reached 8. DIG Shalabh Mathur says at least 4.5 people are missing, rescue operation will continue today as well. Total 11 people rescued in roof collapse incident in Chandausi area of Sambhal district. pic.twitter.com/IZkU6u0nFt
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) March 17, 2023
It has also constituted a committee to investigate the reasons behind the incident. District Magistrate Manish Bansal said: “The roof of a private cold room located on Islam Nagar Road in the Chandausi Police Station area suddenly collapsed on Thursday. Ten people have died in this incident so far.
Sambhal cold storage godown collapse | The death toll rises to 10. 11 people rescued, of which 5 people are under medical treatment and 6 people discharged from the hospital. 3 people are still missing. Case registered against 2 people: Moradabad DIG Shalabh Mathur pic.twitter.com/vZPnuaNzmb
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 17, 2023
In Lucknow, a government spokesman said that Chief Minister Yogi has instructed to give Rs 2 lakhs to each of the relatives of the deceased, while Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured. He has also called for free treatment to be provided to those injured in the accident. The spokesperson said that the Chief Minister has also constituted an investigative committee headed by the Commissioner and the DIG (Deputy Inspector General of Police), Moradabad, to investigate the cause of the cold storage collapse and submit the report as soon as possible.
District magistrate Bansal said that concrete and other construction materials have been removed from the rubble and now work is underway to remove potato sacks. Police Superintendent Chakresh Mishra said it is feared that other victims of the accident are also buried under the rubble. He said relief and rescue work is still going on in the cold storage. Regional Police Deputy Inspector General Shalabh Mathur said 21 people have so far been evacuated from cold storage, of whom ten have died and the rest have been admitted to hospital.
Sambhal District Magistrate Bansal said five injured are receiving treatment at a hospital in Moradabad, while another six injured have been released after receiving medical treatment. Mathur told reporters on Thursday night: “Many people may still be trapped under the rubble. A lot of precautions are being taken in relief and rescue work because ammonia gas cylinders are kept in cold storage. The rescue operation is likely to continue until tomorrow morning.”
Mathur had said that a case has been registered against cold room owners Ankur Aggarwal and Rohit Aggarwal on charges of manslaughter not amounting to murder. He had said that Ankur and Rohit had been on the run since the incident and that a team from the Special Operations Group had been set up to arrest them. Mathur had said that under administrative procedure, the matter would be investigated by a magistrate.
He said: “The part of the cold storage that collapsed was built three months ago, but permission from the administration was not taken for it. Also, potatoes were kept in excess of capacity in cold storage.” According to the police, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police are involved in relief and rescue operations.
