Warehouse Roof Collapses, 14 Killed by Dozens of Potato Sacks
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At least 14 people have died after the roof of a potato storage warehouse in India collapsed. Photos/Metro
NEW DELHI – At least 14 people were killed in the town of Sambhal, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India after the roof of a warehouse storing potatoes ripped open and collapsed on occupants inside the facility last Friday.
Local police said 24 people were pulled out of the rubble of a storage facility in the Chandausi area of Sambhal city in the eastern state, 14 of whom died of their injuries.
Witnesses said the roof of the dilapidated warehouse collapsed on Thursday morning around 11.30am when workers were inside.
Video of the incident shows dozens of sacks filled with potatoes atop the rubble as local authorities brought in a scraper to remove a large pile of concrete and potatoes.
Farm workers were buried under sacks of potatoes as rescuers combed through the rubble for survivors.
The federal disaster team – the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) – and the state’s Disaster Response Force removed workers trapped inside the warehouse, officials said.
Deputy inspector general of police Shalabh Mathur said that almost all the missing workers were found and the rescue operation had reached its final stage, reported India’s daily The Tribune.
“Officers also deployed sniffer dogs to find workers trapped under the rubble,” said district judge Manish Bansal, reported Indian news channel NDTV.
