Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, one labourer lost his life and two others sustained serious injuries during the demolition of an old building in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening.

According to reports, seven workers were engaged in the demolition of a structure located in Lingaraj Vihar. During the process, an old beam collapsed, falling on three of the workers.

One of them died on the spot, while the other two, critically injured, were immediately rushed to Capital Hospital for treatment.

As of the time of filing this report, the identities of the deceased and the injured have not yet been confirmed.

In his reaction, Bhubaneswar’s Joint Labour Commissioner, Pranab Ranjan Jena, stated safety protocols were grossly violated during the demolition work. The labourers were not wearing protective gear such as helmets or safety shoes, he said.

Jena further added strict action would be taken against both the contractor and the house owner for their negligence and failure to ensure worker safety.

Eyewitnesses reported eight workers were present at the site during the incident. When the beam collapsed, several workers fled instead of helping those trapped under the debris.

Additionally, locals had reportedly advised the workers to halt operations due to heavy rain, but the three labourers involved ignored the warnings and continued working.

Commissioner of Police, S. Dev Datta Singh, confirmed the body of the deceased had been sent for post-mortem. He assured stringent action would be taken against all those found responsible for the mishap.