9 workers killed in wall collapse at construction site in Gujarat

Mehsana, Gujarat: Nine workers, including two women, were killed and a man injured when a soil collapse occurred during the construction of a stainless steel factory near Kadi town in Gujarat’s Mehsana district on Saturday, police said.

The workers were digging a 16-foot-deep pit for a tank at a construction site in Jasalpur village when the incident took place, said Kadi police station inspector Prahladsinh Vaghela.

“A rescue operation was carried out for nearly two hours with the help of teams of fire brigade, police and workers. Nine bodies were recovered from the pile, while one person was rescued. Most of the deceased are from Dahod, while three are from Rajasthan. They are aged between 20-30 years,” said Prahladsinh Vaghela.

The official said they were engaged in construction work at the site of Steelinox Stainless Pvt Ltd.

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quoted as saying that the incident was “extremely sad”.

“The accident caused by the wall collapse in Mehsana, Gujarat is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in this accident. May God give them strength to bear this loss. Along with this, I wish the injured a speedy recovery. The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is engaged in providing all possible help to the victims.”

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed condolences in a message and said that “procedures have been adopted by the administration for the rescue and prompt treatment of the injured”.