Power plant mishap: 26 dead, many trapped

Korba (Chhattisgarh): At least 26 labourers were killed, 15 injured and nearly 70 feared trapped under the debris when a chimney at the under-construction thermal power plant of BALCO caved in at Chhattisgarh' Korba town on Wednesday.

Around 500 rescue workers spent the night trying to rescue trapped workers.

 Around 300 labourers were working when the chimney, being set up by CEFCO company, at the under-construction thermal power plant of Bharat Aluminium Company Limited collapsed, District Collector Ashok Agarwal said. An FIR has been registered against BALCO.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the victims and ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Extra security personnel have been deployed at the spot to contain workers' anger and deal with any untoward situation, a senior police official said. (With PTI inputs)