Delhi footbridge collapse: Three still critical

NEW DELHI - Three of the labourers who were injured when a foot overbridge collapsed near the main venue of the Commonwealth Games are still critical, while the fourth patient is recovering, doctors said Wednesday, a day after the accident.

“Three are still critical and in the ICU. The fourth one Triveni, who was critical till morning with chest injuries, is now stable. We hope he will recover in one or two days,” All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) trauma centre’s chief medical officer M.C. Mishra told IANS.

Around 27 labourers were injured Tuesday when an under-construction foot overbridge collapsed outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Twenty-three of them were admitted to AIIMS while four were taken to Safdarjung Hospital.

“Of the three who are critical, Unni and Jitendra had head injuries while Nirmal had abdominal injuries and spinal fracture,” Mishra said.

Meanwhile, the doctors at Safdarjung Hospital said the patients admitted there were recovering well.

The Delhi government Tuesday announced a compensation package of Rs.1 lakh for those sustaining grievous injuries and Rs.50,000 for those with simple injuries in the accident.

The accident came as a major blow to India’s preparations for the Games, with the concerned authorities drawing flak from all quarters.

Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India’s biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games