NDRF rescue operation (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fifteen workers were rescued in Gandhinagar after a metal slab collapsed at a construction site in the city’s Kudasan area.
The accident took place at the Bosky The Empire site on Wednesday night, as workers were casting a slab between two existing structures.
Twelve of the rescued workers were hospitalised and remain stable, while three others with minor injuries were discharged.
Investigators believe a crane may have struck part of the ceiling during the slab-casting work, causing the collapse.
NDRF, SDRF, police and municipal teams were deployed overnight, using specialised cranes and cutting equipment to complete the rescue.
Teams from the Municipal Corporation, district police, district administration, State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force were deployed to the site.
Rescue teams used concrete and metal cutters along with specialised cranes with lifting capacities of more than 300 tonnes to clear debris.
Three of the rescued workers who did not suffer major injuries were discharged after treatment, while the remaining 12 were kept under observation.
The debris-clearing operation continued through the night to ensure no workers remained trapped beneath the collapsed slab.
Gujarat authorities are expected to investigate whether safety protocols were followed at the construction site prior to the collapse.
The incident adds to a string of recent construction-related accidents reported across Indian cities this year, prompting renewed scrutiny of site safety standards.
Officials confirmed that all 15 workers involved in the incident have been accounted for, with none reported missing as of the latest update.
The Kudasan area of Gandhinagar has seen rapid commercial construction activity in recent years as the city has expanded its business and retail footprint.
State authorities said a detailed structural assessment of the remaining portions of the Bosky The Empire site would be carried out before construction work resumes.
Labour rights groups have periodically called for stricter enforcement of on-site safety supervision at construction projects involving simultaneous heavy-machinery operation and manual work.
NDRF rescue operation (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
