A 38-year-old construction worker died after an iron rod fell from the fourth floor of an under-construction banquet hall and struck him on the head at Kantabanji in Odisha’s Balangir district on Thursday, according to a report by Times of India – Bhubaneswar.
The deceased was identified as Bhaba Grahi Patel, a resident of Burobahal village under Bangomunda police station limits. The accident took place at a construction site along the Kantabanji-Bangomunda road while Patel was working at the site.
The iron rod reportedly fell from the fourth floor of the structure and hit Patel on the head. He was taken to the Kantabanji community health centre, where doctors declared him brought dead. His body was later kept in the morgue.
Patel’s family has demanded compensation of Rs 40 lakh and alleged that workers at the site had not been provided adequate safety gear. The allegation has not been independently established in the report and is part of the circumstances being examined after the incident.
Kantabanji police reached the construction site and began investigating how the iron rod fell and whether required safety measures were in place. Gopal Chandra Karna, inspector in-charge of Kantabanji police station, said police had registered an unnatural death case.
“We have registered an unnatural death case and an investigation is underway,” Karna said, according to the report.
The incident highlights the immediate risks faced by workers at active construction sites, where falling materials can endanger people working below. The police investigation is expected to establish the sequence of events and examine the conditions at the site.
The next official step is the completion of the police inquiry into Patel’s death and the circumstances surrounding the fall of the iron rod.
