Three men were critically injured when a lift under maintenance collapsed at the departure level of Calcutta airport’s terminal on Tuesday. All three were maintenance staff engaged in repair work, officials said.
Police sources said Amit Das, 27, Pravat Shankar Mehra, 51, and Sk Moidul Rehman, 51, were employees of a private agency hired for maintenance work.
The injured were taken to Charnock Hospital, where they were admitted.
One of the 51-year-old patients suffered head injuries and a left ankle fracture. “The patient has multiple fractures in the skull and ankle,” a hospital official said, without naming him.
The second injured, aged 27, suffered a head injury and multiple fractures in both legs. The third, also 51, suffered blunt trauma to the chest and pelvic region. “He has multiple rib fractures,” the official said.
The accident occurred around 1pm, airport sources said. Lift number 34, located in the boarding area at the departure level, had been non-operational for passengers for several days due to technical issues.
The three workers were engaged at different points inside the lift shaft when the cable allegedly snapped and the lift fell into the pit, the airport official said.
“The lift was under maintenance when the accident occurred. It was closed to passengers. An investigation has been ordered,” the official said.
The official added that a loud thud was heard before staff rushed to the spot. The area has been cordoned off.
Passengers departing from the city access the boarding area after check-in and security clearance. They board flights via aerobridges or by coaches to aircraft parked in remote bays.
“The lifts are used by passengers to move to the ground level, from where they board coaches,” an airport official said.
A case has been registered at the NSCBI airport police station.
In March, a 40-year-old man died after getting trapped in a lift at the trauma care centre of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Calcutta.
The Dum Dum resident had entered the unmanned lift along with his wife and four-year-old son around 5am when it malfunctioned.
