Kolkata, Apr 24: At least three spectators were injured when a makeshift Venue Operations Centre collapsed following heavy rain and thunderstorm at Eden Gardens, venue of the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers, here tonight.
“Three spectators have sustained minor injuries. One has been rushed to the hospital. They were sitting in the gallery when the (VOC) structure collapsed,” a police official at the city headquarters said.
Incidentally, the makeshift arrangement in the J-Block of the stadium in the western part was made up of bamboo. It was erected ahead of the ICC World Cup 2011 and was used to monitor the security arrangements by the police officials.
The structure was used for all the matches but the state association never felt it necessary to make it a permanent one.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint-secretary Sujan Mukherjee said that PWD never objected to the structure.
“They had given the green signal before the IPL so there was no concern about it,” Mukherjee said.
Suman Das, a spectator in the J-Block, said they got panicked and rushed for covers when the incident happened.
“Such was the impact that the structure fell and there was heavy rain. We all got panicked and rushed for covers. Even there was minor damage to the electronic scorecard,” said Das, who had come with his wife to watch the match.
A squall accompanied by heavy showers hit the stadium around 7:40pm and as it got intensified, the makeshift arrangement collapsed on the spectators sitting nearby.
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