Most of those injured in the collapse of the under-construction flyover in Gomti Nagar on Tuesday were young workers employed at the project site.

All the victims are aged between 20 to 26 years and have suffered fractures. Twelve of them were admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Hours after the incident, there were no signs of any representative from the Hindustan Construction Company ¿ the firm responsible for the construction of the flyover.

Ram Pal (24), a labourer from Tikara Samarpur village of Unnao district, was declared dead on arrival. His brother Ram Singh also died in the mishap, while cousin Omkar is also seriously injured. Another injured, Mahipal Singh, was later shifted to Trauma Centre where his condition is stated to be critical. One of the injured, Vivek Shukla, was however discharged after preliminary treatment.

“The project was the major source of earning for our family. My cousins had brought me here a month ago. We had lunch together. I can’t believe they aren’t alive now,” Omkar, who worked as a daily wage labourer for Rs 80 a day.

Narrating the incident, Omkar said the crash took place suddenly and there was no time for them to react. “By the time we realised what was happening, we had already fallen down,” he added.

Another labourer, Vinay Gupta, said there was a sudden jerk and they fell down. Around 10 to 12 persons were working on the section of the flyover at that time. “We tried to rescue each other, until help arrived and we were brought to this hospital,” Gupta said.

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