As many as 12 devotees and construction workers were injured when a concrete slab collapsed at Gurdwara Baba Darshan Das in Sangatpur village near Chohla Sahib in the district. However, no casualties were reported. The concrete slab, which was under construction, was being laid at the site of the Diwan Hall (congregation hall) for Kar Sewa.

Besides the construction workers, a large number of devotees were doing sewa (voluntary service) at the site where the slab was being laid on an area of ​​9,000 square feet. The devotees were helping the mason and the workers when the slab collapsed, leaving many trapped under the construction material. People from nearby areas and administrative teams and the Punjab police rushed to the spot to rescue the trapped using JCB machines and other means. The operation was ongoing till the time of filing this report.

“A total of 12 devotees and labourers were injured in the incident and the rescue operation underway. We have removed around 75% of the debris and no one is suspected to be buried under the debris. The injured have been admitted to Tarn Taran hospital. Four people in critical condition have been referred to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Government Medical College Amritsar. No casualty has been reported so far,” said Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar, who also rushed to the spot to monitor the rescue operation.

Expressing grief over the mishap, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. He said it was a very sad incident which should not have happened.