Nine people killed as arch collapses at thermal power plant site in India

At least nine people were killed when an arch collapsed at a thermal power plant construction site in Chennai, the capital of India’s Tamil Nadu state.

The accident happened on Tuesday at the Ennore site, where a steel structure about nine metres high gave way.

Officials said the victims were migrant workers from Assam. Several others were injured and taken to Chennai’s Stanley government hospital. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences, describing the collapse as a "tragic incident". He announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,250) for each family of the dead and 50,000 rupees ($560) for the injured.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin pledged 1 million rupees ($11,270) for each victim’s family and promised support to transport the bodies back to their home state.

Authorities said the cause of the collapse remains unclear and an investigation is under way.

The accident occurred just hours after a separate roof collapse at a steel plant in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur killed six workers.

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