The scaffolding at a construction site collapsed in Chennai on Saturday evening.
One person was killed and 17 others injured when a building collapsed at a construction site in Chennai on Saturday. Five of them have suffered head injuries.
The structure surrounding the under-construction hospital came crashing down at around 7:20 pm, trapping several people underneath the debris.
Dozens of rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF, the police and fire department continued to wade through the rubble looking for survivors late into the night.
"It's a four storeyed structure. Scaffolding and a beam collapsed. All have been rescued from the building side and search is on in the part that fell on the roadside," a senior official from the fire and rescue department said.
A senior police officer added, "All have been rescued. We don't think anybody else is trapped."
R B Udhayakumar, the minister in charge of disaster management, said, "Five people suffered head injuries and are being treated at the emergency ward of Apollo Hospitals."
The NDRF sent 61 rescuers to assist with the rescue. "We are systematically clearing to make sure none is trapped," Rekha Nambiar, Commandant, 4 Battalion, NDRF, said.
The cause of the scaffolding's collapse was unclear and authorities said they were investigating if there were any violations. "Investigation is on to find out the cause of the accident," Rajendra Ratnoo, Disaster Management Commissioner, said.
Fifty-five people were killed after a 11-storey under construction building collapsed in 2014 outside Chennai. A probe had found major violations.