Roof collapse at high-end bar on Chamiers Road kills 3 staffers
CHENNAI: Three staff members were killed after a portion of the roof on the first floor of a high-end pub on Chamiers Road in Alwarpet collapsed on Thursday evening. While initial reports blamed the ongoing Metro Rail work in the neighbourhood for the roof collapse, CMRL claimed that the incident had nothing to do with the vibrations from its site as alleged.
The deceased were identified as Cyclone Raj (45), a native of Dindigul, and Max (21) and Lolly (22), both hailing from Manipur, who were staffers at the Sekhmet Club, which has come to become a popular spot among the high and mighty in the city.
According to the police, the portion of the mezzanine floor close to Chamiers Road collapsed when the workers were busy preparing for their guests. In the impact, a portion of the ground floor ceiling too came down crashing. There were about 17 staff and three guests inside the pub when the incident happened. While Raj, Max and Lolly died, the other staff members and the guests escaped unhurt, and were evacuated from the spot.
Immediately after the incident, teams of Fire and Rescue Services, Commando Force personnel from the Marutham Complex, and a team of National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) personnel from their Adyar office were deployed to retrieve the bodies of those trapped under the debris. A police team led by Joint Commissioner (East Chennai) G Dharmarajan and senior fire officers also monitored the rescue work.
Additional Commissioner (South Chennai) Prem Anand Sinha said, “We are inquiring the reason for the accident.” Police had already registered a case, he said, and added that expert opinion was being sought from structural engineers to know if the owner of the building deviated from the original plan and added any additional structure or floor to the building.
A little later, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J Radhakrishnan also visited the spot to inspect the building.
Meanwhile, after initial information said the roof collapse was due to the strong vibrations from Metro Rail work to build Boat Club station, the CMRL said the incident was not due to the ongoing works, “as the work is almost 240 feet away” from the building where the club is located.
“No vibrations or settlement have been noticed in the building. CMRL officials are making further on-the-spot inquiry,” it said, adding that it was extending assistance to the TNFRS in the rescue work.