Bengaluru: Warehouse rack collapse kills 3 workers

Bengaluru: Panic prevailed at Seegehalli in Whitefield when iron racks installed inside a warehouse collapsed and killed three workers on Thursday afternoon.

Police said the rescue operation was ongoing and five workers were rescued. They arrested site owner Amanullah and the business head of the warehouse, identified as Ajay, and cases have been registered against them for negligence.

The incident took place at Holisol Warehouse Logistic Pvt Ltd and the deceased have been identified as Farooq, a resident of Koralur near Kadugodi, Subhash and Janan Darshan both hailing from Odisha. The fire and emergency department officials rescued five workers, identified as Kuladeep, Janakiram, Narayanaswamy, and two others have been shifted to hospital. According to the police, the accident happened around 12.30 pm when the iron racks tilted and loaded crates fell on the workers below.

Soon panic gripped the area as the workers’ loud cries alerted the neighbourhood. A fire official said after getting an alert they reached the spot at about 2 pm, along with NDRF team.  Farooq, Subhash, Janan Darshan and Ramakanth remained stuck under the racks for hours, only Ramakanth was found alive, when the rescue teams reached them. The first body (Farooq) was found at around 5:30pm.

Another official from NDRF told this newspaper that rescue operation has been going on for eight hours and more than 100 personnel were have been deployed. The warehouse is spread across 1,200 square feet.

“At the time of the incident over 50 workers were present. One of the bolts which was supporting the iron racks got loose and this led to the collapse of heavy iron racks,” the official added.

Local residents claimed they heard a loud noise inside the warehouse and rushed to check.

A warehouse worker said had a providential escape as he had stepped out to have tea, when the tragedy befell. He said nearly 25 workers had gone to have tea outside the warehouse premises.

“While we were sipping tea, we heard a loud noise and commotion. Upon checking, we were shocked to see that more than 200 vertically installed racks had collapsed, with many workers stuck under them,” he added.

Kadugodi police, fire officials and NDRF team are carrying out rescue operation as one more worker is reportedly trapped under the debris.

The warehouse began functioning in July, 2017.