Salt factory wall collapse claims 12 lives; injures 15

Morbi: A wall collapse in a salt factory has claimed at least 12 lives and injured 15 others in Gujarat. The factory was located in the Halvad GIDC of the Morbi district in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, and the district administration has informed that 90 per cent of the rescue operation had been completed, IANS reported.

On Wednesday, around noon, the Gujarat Minister of State for Labour and Employment Brijesh Merja briefed the media about the incident in the factory which processed and packaged salt. He said that the cause behind the wall collapse was not clear then. However, he added that the state administration would announce compensation shortly.

Meanwhile, sources from the factory informed that workers got trapped under bags of salts which were stacked against the collapsed wall.

The rescue operations were monitored by the Morbi District Collector J.B. Patel and District Superintendent of Police Rahul Tripathi with a team. JCBs were used to remove debris and salt bags.

SP Tripathi informed that once the area is cleared from debris, an FSL team along with local police will investigate the incident, and if any negligence is found from the side of factory management, it will be held responsible.