Ennore Power Plant Roof Collapse Kills Nine Assam Workers Instantly
Collapse claims nine lives, one clings for survival.
Chennai's Ennore Thermal Power Station turned into a nightmare Tuesday evening when a massive space frame for a coal-handling shed's roof buckled catastrophically, sending nine Assam workers hurtling 45 meters (about 150 feet) to their deaths in Voyalur, Tiruvallur district.
The tragedy unfolded around 5:45 pm as three grid bays of the under-construction structure gave way, crushing the victims instantly while they connected beams high above ground. The fallen were identified as Munnakempral, Vidayum Pravotsha, Sumon Karikap, Deepak Raijiung, Sarbojit Thausen, Pranto Sorong, Paban Sorong, Phaibit Phonglo, and Bimaraj Thausen—all hailing from Assam. Their bodies were rushed to Chennai's Government Stanley Medical College for postmortems slated for Wednesday.
In a miraculous escape, 36-year-old Mangal from Assam gripped the steel frame amid the chaos, dangling precariously until rescuers hauled him to safety. He's now battling injuries at the same hospital, about 50 km from the site, under close watch.
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The workers were part of a 3,000-strong crew hired by Metalkarma Engineering Technologies (MET), a subcontractor to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). BHEL holds the EPC contract for Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation's ambitious duo of 660 MW coal-fired units, with 75% of the project already in the books. Many laborers, including these victims, bunk in makeshift camps near Minjur.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board chief J Radhakrishnan, who dashed to the scene, revealed around 10 men were on that deadly section when it failed. Early checks suggest they donned proper safety harnesses, but probes are digging deep into negligence claims. Avadi Police are slapping charges on MET's supervisors, with company brass due late Tuesday for hospital huddles and site sweeps. This gut-wrenching loss echoes a grim December 2024 mishap at Salem's Mettur Thermal Power Station, where two perished in a similar fiasco.
Grief rippled to the top: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted condolences, vowing Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia from the PM's National Relief Fund for each bereaved family and Rs 50,000 for the hurt. Chief Minister MK Stalin matched with Rs 10 lakh solatium per kin, ordering swift body transport to Assam and dispatching Transport & Electricity Minister SS Sivasankar plus Radhakrishnan for on-ground aid. As families shatter across states, the question looms: Was this preventable, or just cruel fate?
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