Chhattisgarh smelting plant collapse: 3 more bodies recovered; toll reaches 4

The bodies of three workers trapped under debris after a silo collapsed on Thursday at a smelting plant in Chhattisgarh's Mungeli district were retrieved on Saturday following a 42-hour-long rescue operation, bringing the death toll in the accident to four, officials said.

The multi-agency rescue effort concluded on Saturday after the bodies were recovered from the site of Kusum Smelters Private Limited, located near Rambod village in the Sargaon police station area.

The incident occurred on Thursday when a silo, an iron structure used for storing fly ash, collapsed. One labourer was killed, and another injured in the initial crash. Subsequently, more workers were feared trapped under the debris.

Superintendent of police, Mugeli Bhojram Patel, said that the rescue teams had been working tirelessly with machines, including cranes and gas cutters, to locate the missing workers since Thursday afternoon. Over 400 personnel from various agencies participated in the operation.

The collapsed silo structure, weighing more than 350 tonnes and filled with fly ash, posed significant challenges to the rescuers. The debris had to be meticulously shifted, and the fly ash removed before the bodies could be retrieved.

“During the 42-hour-long rescue operation, the iron structure was moved first, followed by the removal of fly ash. Three bodies were found this morning,” Patel said.

The deceased were identified as Jayant Sahu (35) from Bilaspur district, Prakash Yadav (20) from Balodabazar district, and Awdhesh Kashyap (32) from Janjgir-Champa district. Earlier on Thursday, an injured worker, Manoj Kumar Dhritlahre (35), succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to the hospital.

The rescue operation involved personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, district administration, and industrial safety and health departments, among others.

Following the incident, a first information report (FIR) was registered on Friday against plant in-charge Amit Kedia, manager Anil Prasad, and the plant management for causing death by negligence. They were booked under sections 106 (A) (causing death by negligence), 289 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The investigation is ongoing, and appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty, Patel added.