Chandigarh, July 5: A commercial building collapse in Chandigarh’s Industrial Area, Phase II, resulted in two fatalities and left three others injured on Saturday evening. The double-storey structure, situated at Plot Number 28/9 near Hotel The Fern, gave way while labourers were executing renovation work inside. The incident triggered a swift deployment of the fire brigade, local police, and the National Disaster Response Force, who collaborated for over five hours to systematically pull survivors from the heavy concrete ruins.
The bodies of the two deceased workers were recovered from the site and subsequently transferred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32. The remaining three victims trapped under the debris were extricated alive and rushed via ambulances to receive immediate medical attention for their injuries. Preliminary assessments point toward structural vulnerabilities within the property rather than environmental factors.
“We learned that a co-working space operated inside on a rental basis, so labourers were engaged there as well,” Chandigarh Industrial Association President MPS Chawla affirmed while discussing the workforce present at the site. He declared that an official inquiry would be necessary to establish the exact cause. “But this incident likely occurred due to structural deficiencies. It hasn’t even been raining.”
The impact of the collapse drew immediate attention from municipal authorities who rushed to coordinate logistics at the scene. Cranes and specialized cutting tools were deployed by the National Disaster Response Force to manage the fallen slabs.
“The NDRF, police administration and fire department were jointly carrying out the rescue operation using specialised equipment to lift the concrete slab,” Mayor Saurabh Joshi stated as the search peaked. He maintained that the incident underscores a need for stricter oversight on construction timelines, suggesting that the administration should halt major renovations during seasonal shifts to prevent similar hazards.
Expressing solidarity with the emergency efforts, Congress leader Pawan Kumar Bansal affirmed that every participating agency was making the utmost effort to secure the site and ensure the safety of the workforce. Municipal teams remained at the location into the late hours to guarantee the structural stability of the surrounding plots.
