Floor of meeting hall of panchayat office collapses in Odisha's Ganjam, 15 women injured

Berhampur: At least 15 women were injured on Monday when the floor of the meeting hall of panchayat office caved in at Pitala in Ganjam district, police said.

The incident took place when around 20 women and members of a women self-help group were sitting on the floor of the meeting hall.

Over 100 women belonging to different WSHGs had congregated at the panchayat office in the morning after a rally in the village to create awareness on sanitation under Swachha Bharat Mission (SBM).

The critically injured women were rushed to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital here, other injured persons got treatment at the community health center, Hinjili.

Many of the injured were later discharged. The condition of two is stated to be critical, they said.

With the sudden sinking of the ground floor of the building, made up by vitrified tiles, a major hole was created. Most of the women fell into it which was around four-foot deep and three to five-feet wide.

District Collector Prem Chandra Chaudhary has directed the local tehsildar to furnish the report on the incident.

"We'll take further action after verifying the tehsildar's report," he said.

The floor might have collapsed due to soil erosion, said Block Development Officer (BDO) Sheragada Ranjan Kumar Biswal.