LUCKNOW: At least eight workers were injured and several others feared trapped after a slab of an under-construction guest house collapsed in Barabanki’s Haidergarh area on Saturday. A large-scale rescue operation involving police, fire services and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was launched immediately.The incident took place at a construction site located along the busy Lucknow-Sultanpur highway. Preliminary findings suggest that the slab caved in after the supporting shuttering gave way during construction work, bringing down a portion of the structure and burying labourers beneath concrete and iron rods.Officials said nearly 28 workers were present at the site when the collapse occurred. Many of them were engaged in slab work when the structure suddenly gave way, triggering chaos as labourers tried to flee to safety. Several workers sustained injuries due to falling debris and were rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Haidergarh, where they are undergoing treatment.Rescue teams worked against time to pull out those trapped. Till late evening, at least five workers had been safely rescued from the rubble, while two others were still feared trapped under the collapsed slab. Authorities said the exact number of people buried remains uncertain and is being verified.Heavy machinery, including cranes and cutters, has been pressed into service to clear the debris, while SDRF personnel are carrying out a meticulous search operation to avoid further risk to those trapped. The operation is being conducted cautiously amid concerns over structural instability of the remaining portion of the building.The under-construction guest house is reportedly owned by KP Singh, a resident of Rae Bareli. District magistrate Ishan Pratap Singh and superintendent of police Arpit Vijayvargiya reached the site soon after receiving information and are personally supervising the rescue efforts.Senior officials said the immediate priority is to save lives and ensure timely medical care to the injured. “All resources have been mobilised. The focus is on rescuing those still trapped,” an officer said.The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained. Authorities indicated that a detailed technical probe will be ordered once rescue operations conclude, with a focus on possible negligence, construction quality and adherence to safety norms.
