Debris from risky demolition work disrupts Ctg road traffic
Building demolition continued for a month without safety protocols
Vehicular movement, electricity supply and broadband communication were halted for hours in an area in the port city on Tuesday after a big portion of a derelict building fell on the street during a demolition operation.
No human casualties have been reported so far due to the demolition accident in the Nandankanan area of Chattogram city. Neither the building's owner Arun Babu, nor people involved with the demolition could be found after the incident.
According to locals, the building was undergoing demolition over the past month without any safety procedures. Even before the operation started, the three-storey building was already in a poor and risky state, and two two-storey buildings on its northern and southern sides were also in dilapidated conditions.
Demolition work on the first two levels of the building is almost complete and workers started getting rid of a wall on the second storey Tuesday. At one point, a big section of the western wall fell down on the nearby 3 No alley, tearing down electricity and internet lines along its way and halting traffic movement on the street.
Mohammad Ali, senior station officer of Nandankanan Fire Station, later confirmed removing the debris from the street and notifying the local councillor and police officers about the incident.