Five labourers killed, six injured after water tank collapses in Bhosari

Five labourers were killed and six others injured when a makeshift water tank collapsed around 8 am Sadgurunagar locality in Bhosari on Thursday.
According to police, most of the workers were busy bathing when the poorly constructed water structure collapsed due to pressure leading to their deaths while trapping several others in the debris.
Teams of fire and emergency ambulance services and local police reached the spot and a rescue operation was launched immediately. The trapped labourers were pulled out from under the debris and the injured were admitted to a nearby hospital.
The water tank was located a height of 12 feet from where it came down on victims leading to their deaths, police said.
Vasant Pardeshi, additional commissioner of police Pimpri-Chinchwad, said, “Rescue operations were carried out by the fire department with assistance from the police and the injured were rushed to the hospital in ambulance vans.”
Shekhar Singh, commissioner, said, “The water tank did not belong to the municipal corporation and further investigations are underway. The police have been directed to take necessary action.”
Bhosari police said that a preliminary probe indicates that the water tank was made of sub-standard material due to which it could not withstand the water weight and came crashing down.
Manjip Jamal, a labourer, said, “The workers are from Orissa, Bengal and Bihar who were busy taking bath when the incident took place. The matter should not be hushed up and adequate compensation must be provided to the next of kin of all those who died in the accident.”
Santosh Kumar Ramnaresh Sahani (35), a labourer, lodged an FIR in connection with the incident under Bharati Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 105,125 (A), and 125 (B) against contractor Kumar Lomate.
The deceased have been identified as Naveen Jonna, Malla Thakur, Sonu Kumar, Ravindra Kumar, and Sudam Behera, all residents of the labour camp in Sadgurunagar.
The injured have been identified as Santosh Kumar Ramnaresh Sahani, Shivjatan Nishad, Munna Ramesh Chaudhari, Mohammad Saleem Mangru Shaikh, Jitendra Kumar Mandal and Mohammad Harun Rashid.
The complainant in the FIR stated that the wall collapsed around 6.16 am when he had gone to take a bath.
The contractor was negligent as he did not carry out the construction of the overhead water tank professionally and substandard material was used. Despite knowing that the tank was not fit for water storage, he ensured that it was filled with water and later the entire structure collapsed leading to deaths and injuries of the construction site workers, the FIR states.
DCP Swapna Gore, who is supervising the investigation, said, “Three persons were killed on the spot and later two more labourers were declared dead at the hospital while undergoing treatment. Currently, six labourers are under treatment at a private hospital.”