A major accident occurred in front of AIIMS Hospital on Friday afternoon when a balcony of an under-construction private building collapsed, leaving approximately eight people seriously injured. The victims, including a toddler and a young woman, were standing near a medical store when the structure gave way.

 

The incident took place while patients and their relatives, who had come to AIIMS for treatment, were purchasing medicines at Sadana Medical Store located across the road. The 35-year-old building was reportedly undergoing the addition of three extra floors. According to eyewitnesses, a large protruding balcony collapsed onto a lower tin shade with a loud explosion-like sound, leaving those standing beneath with no time to escape. Eight people present at the site were injured after being trapped under the debris and were immediately rushed to AIIMS for treatment. According to eyewitnesses, Sadana Medical Store was operating on the ground floor of the building, where customers and parked vehicles were buried.

 

Two motorcycles and a scooter were damaged. While three individuals were discharged after receiving first aid, five others remain under medical care. Local residents noted that the presence of a tin shed over the medical store prevented the debris from falling directly onto the people, likely averting a higher number of casualties. Abhinay Ujjenia, an Ashoka Garden resident at the hospital for his mother’s treatment, reported seeing several people trapped immediately after the balcony fell. Local residents and passers-by immediately swung into action, pulling the victims from the rubble and rushing them to the AIIMS Trauma Center.

 

The condition of the young child is reported to be critical. The collapse also completely buried two two-wheelers and one four-wheeler, which were later extracted by a Municipal Corporation team after significant effort. Police and municipal corporation officials arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the alert. As a precautionary measure, adjacent shops have been evacuated, and the debris has been cleared to ensure no one else remains trapped.

 

ACP Dr Rajnish Kashyap stated: “All the injured have been admitted to AIIMS, where doctors are treating them. The incident will be investigated. We are also seeking information from the municipal corporation regarding whether the construction that was underway had the necessary permissions. Action will be taken based on whatever the investigation reveals.” Zonal Officer Govind Dangi of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation stated that officials found the front canopy of the under-construction building had collapsed due to a lapse in scaffolding during construction. Taking immediate action, a notice has been issued and all construction material has been seized. Assistant Engineer Nishant Tiwari stated that “The municipal corporation was continuously monitoring the concerned construction work. Upon finding violations of construction norms, a notice was issued on March 13, under Section 307, which grants a period of 15 days to remove the illegal construction. This period was set to expire on March 28, after which further action was to be initiated. The Corporation had already taken action regarding the violations, work had been stopped and the due process was being followed through notices.