LUCKNOW: The death toll in the roof collapse incident at a cold storage in Sambhal district rose to 14 on Friday as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the injured and set up a committee to probe the cause of the tragedy. Twenty-four people were pulled out of the debris of the collapsed structure on Indira Road under Chandausi police station limits and 14 of them died, Deputy Inspector General of Police Shalabh Mathur said. Mathur said almost all the missing workers have been found and the rescue operation is in its final stages. District Magistrate Manish Bansal said that four people are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Moradabad, while six have been discharged.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is on an official visit to Moradabad, visited the hospital where the injured of Sambhal are being treated. He met the injured and inquired about their well-being.
Meeting the people injured in the cold store accident at Chandausi in district Sambhal today, inquired about their well-being and received information from the doctors regarding their treatment.
All are being treated on priority.
May Lord Shri Ram grant speedy recovery to all, this is my prayer. pic.twitter.com/hZkdtKS35o— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) March 17, 2023
A government spokesperson in Lucknow said that CM Adityanath has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and free treatment for all those injured in the incident.
According to the spokesperson, Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of life and directed the officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured.
He has also formed a committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner and the DIG of Moradabad to investigate the cause of the roof collapse.
The spokesperson said the committee has been asked to submit its report at the earliest.
Sambhal is about 158 km from Delhi and 350 km from the state capital Lucknow.
DM Bansal said the rescue operation, in which National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force were involved, continued throughout the night.
Chief Medical Officer Tarannum Raza told PTI that around 25 doctors and 21 ambulances have been pressed into the rescue operation. Some ambulances were also called from Moradabad, Badaun and Rampur.
Searchlights were installed in the area to facilitate rescue operations. Earth movers have also been pressed into service to clear the debris.