At least 4 dead, several injured as wall collapses in Odisha

The boundary wall of an abandoned rice mill collapsed on street vendors in Odisha's Dhenkenal, resulting in the death of at least four persons.

Dhenkenal: At least four people were killed and five others gravely injured after the wall of an abandoned rice mill collapsed near the Alasua market in Odisha's Dhenkenal.

Trading activities were underway when a portion of the boundary wall suddenly caved in, killing four people on spot -- all of them vendors, Abhinab Dalua, the inspector-in-charge of Dhenkanal Town Police Station, said.

A team of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), along with fire brigade personnel and police officers, carried out the rescue operation, he said, adding that several vehicles, including two-wheelers and bicycles parked near the wall, were crushed under the debris.

Assistant Fire Officer Ramakant Nayak said seven people, who sustained serious injuries in the mishap, were taken to the district headquarters hospital, while three others have been shifted to another facility in Cuttack.

The remaining portion of the boundary wall has been demolished with a JCB machine, he added.

Sources said the rice mill had been lying abandoned for several years with little or no maintenance.

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