Two killed as Delhi Metro flyover collapses

19 Oct 2008, 1400 hrs IST, TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: The driver of a Blueline bus and a labourer died and 17 people were injured when a girder launcher and a part of the under-construction Metro flyover collapses near Shakarpur area in New Delhi. (Pic courtesy: Times Now) More overhead Metro line between Lakshmi Nagar and Nirman Bhavan in east Delhi collapsed and fell on passing vehicles on Vikas Marg at 7.05am on Sunday. The accident occurred when workers were lifting a 400-tonne concrete span of the bridge with the help of a crane. According to eyewitnesses, the launcher, which was launched on top of the newly constructed girder, collapsed along with a 34-metre-long span comprising10 segments of the bridge on top of the Blueline, two cars and two trailers. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has ordered an inquiry into the incident and has asked IIT-Delhi to depute a structural engineer who would conduct the probe along with the DMRC design chief and a representative of the foreign consultant which is working on the project along with DMRC. The dead are 28-year-old Surinder, who was driving the Blueline and 25-year-old labourer Chhotte Lal. The injured have been taken to Lok Nayak Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital and the MCD Hospital in Karkardooma. Of the injured two are said to be in a critical condition, one person had to undergo amputation of both legs and another person underwent an amputation of one leg. "It is a big shock to us. We are taking it seriously and we are for an independent high-level inquiry," DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal said. Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said 17 people were injured in the accident. While DMRC officials said that the accident could have been caused by a mechanical failure of the lining of the launcher, they admitted that there might have been errors like faulty anchoring of the machine. "Safety pins should have been in place and all bolts should have been tightened before start of launching,'' a senior official said. The mangled remains of the vehicles were removed late in the morning. Traffic on Vikas Marg was disrupted all morning. "I was sleeping and woke up hearing a huge sound. I thought it was an earthquake and rushed outside only to see the bus under the debris," said Anand Kumar, who lives near the accident site.