At least nine workers were injured when the roof of an under-construction auditorium of a hall of a residence collapsed at Rajshahi University on Tuesday.
Among the injured, Azadul, 35, of Saghata upazila in Gaibandha district, Sifat, 22, of the Anupnagar area in Chapainawabganj and Sihab, 25, of Paharpur area under Godagari upazila in Rajshahi were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital while the rest others took primary treatment at RU medical centre.
Witnesses said that an auditorium was being built inside the under-construction AHM Kamaruzzaman Hall and the labourers were casting the auditorium’s roof on Tuesday.
Mazid Sons Constructions Ltd was constructing the 10-storey hall behind the RU stadium at a cost Tk 70.20 crore. Md Rasel, one of the injured who took primary treatment at the RU medical centre, said that the roof fell apart with the beams and pillars suddenly with a loud sound, while they were casting the roof of the auditorium, leaving nine of them injured.
Following the incident, eight units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot and started a rescue operation.
The rescue operation was continuing till the filing of this report at about 7:45pm. Md Wahedul Islam, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Rajshahi divisional office, told New Age that the collapse was due to an ‘engineering fault’.
‘But a thorough investigation is needed to determine the fault,’ he
added. Md Wahedul Islam said that they were planning to use an excavator to remove the collapsed roof to confirm whether there was any worker buried under it.
The RU authorities, meanwhile, have called an emergency meeting this evening with all stakeholders in this regard, said pro-vice-chancellor professor Sultan-ul Islam.
He said that they would form a committee to investigate the incident.
