5 killed, 3 labourers injured as brick kiln chimney collapses in Tripura

At least five people were killed and three others were injured after a brick kiln chimney collapsed on workers in Tripura on Wednesday, officials said.

A district administration official said that the tragic incident happened at Kamalpur in northern Tripura’s Dhalai district when the brick kiln was in operation. The three deceased, who died on the spot, were identified as Subal Debnath (55), Pinku Shil (37), both residents of Tripura and Anil Gautam (49), a resident of Uttar Pradesh. Of the injured, two are residents of Jharkhand.

Two seriously injured workers -- Sajal Malakar (40) and Bidhu Sharma (45) – later succumbed to their injuries at the government hospitals.

The injured workers were later shifted to the government-run Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital in Agartala for better medical treatment.

Soon after the incident, personnel of the Fire and Emergency Services and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with local residents, recovered the bodies of the deceased and rescued the injured, who were taken to nearby hospitals.

Earlier in the day, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha condoled the deaths and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

The owner of the brick kiln, Souvik Paul, and his Manager were detained by the police and are now in the Kamalpur Police Station.

Dhalai District Superintendent of Police (SP), Mihir Lal Das and local BJP MLA Manoj Kanti Deb visited the area and supervised the rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the body of a 19-year-old student was recovered from the Manu River in northern Tripura’s Unakoti district on Wednesday by personnel of the Fire and Emergency Services.

Police said that four youths had gone to the Manu River on Tuesday for bathing. When they were unable to save themselves, residents rescued three youths, while the student, who later died, could not be traced on Tuesday.