Sambhal: Ten labourers died so far in a cold storage accident on Thursday in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. The administration has managed to rescue 21 people from the debris till Friday morning while many are still missing. It is learnt that 24 labourers got buried under the debris after the roof of the cold storage chamber hoarded with potatoes collapsed on Islam Nagar Road. Relief and rescue operations are being conducted. The police registered a case against two persons, including the cold storage owner, while four persons have been detained for interrogation. State for Panchayati Raj Dharam Pal Singh suspended the district horticulture officer for negligence.
Moradabad DIG Shalabh Mathur said that the death toll has gone up to 10 and 21 people, who were recused, have been admitted to the hospital for treatment. Of these, six were discharged after preliminary treatment. The police said they would be able to cite the reason behind the collapse of the roof only after removing the debris. "Twenty people have been rescued so far and 10 of them died. There are also reports that at least three people were severely injured. The rescue operation is still underway."
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the death of the eight labourers and wished speedy recovery of the injured. He tweeted: "The loss of lives in the cold storage accident at Chandausi in Sambhal district is painful. My condolences are with the bereaved families. May Lord Shri Ram grant the departed souls a place at his holy feet and strength to the family members to bear this immense sorrow?" The Chief Minister's Office tweeted that the CM has instructed officials of the district administration to take the injured to the hospital and provide treatment.
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Sambhal district magistrate Manish Bansal said that NDRF is searching for the trapped labourers with the help of sniffer dogs. The rescue operation is underway and more search teams are being deployed, he added. A government spokesperson in Lucknow said Chief Minister Adityanath has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for those critically injured and free treatment for all those who sustained injuries in the incident.
The Chief Minister has also constituted a probe committee led by the Police Commissioner and the DIG of Moradabad to probe the reasons behind the roof collapse. The committee has been asked to submit its report at the earliest, the spokesperson said. Sambhal District Magistrate Manish Bansal said five people are undergoing treatment at the Moradabad hospital, while six have been discharged.
The rescue operation, in which the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also involved, continued through the night, he said. Searchlights have been installed in the area to facilitate the rescue operation. JCB machines have been pressed into service to remove the debris.
Minister of State for Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi and Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Dharam Pal Singh reached the collapse site. According to the police, the collapsed roof was built only three months ago without the necessary permission from the administration and the number of potatoes stored at the cold storage was beyond its prescribed capacity.
DIG Mathur told reporters late on Thursday night that rescuers were taking precautions as ammonia gas cylinders were kept in cold storage. "A case under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been lodged against Ankur Agarwal and Rohit Agarwal, the owners of the cold storage," the DIG had said.
