14 Workers Crushed to Death by Potatoes and Debris in 'Tragic' Warehouse Collapse in India

A total of 24 people were pulled from the rubble at the facility in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where 14 died of injuries sustained in the accident,The Independentreports police officials saying.

Footageof the aftermathshows rescuers in the city of Sambhal looking through debris, as they moved bricks, bags of potatoes and other rubble to help clean up the scene and assist with the rescue effort. The death toll,initially ruledas eight people, has since climbed to 14, perIndian news outletThe Tribune.

The collapse took place around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, witnesses shared.

India’s National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force were tapped to help rescue those inside the debris. Officials said the rescue effort, which also involved sniffer dogs, searchlights and excavating machines, continued through the night and involved 25 doctors and 21 ambulances, perThe Tribune.

A worker in New Delhi, India.Anindito Mukherjee/Bloomberg via Getty

Deputy Inspector General of Police Shalabh Mathur said that nearly all missing workers had been located,The Tribune.

Additional footage from the aftermathshows crews drag out bagsof potatoes and unload large loads of rubble and concrete into dumpsters.

Before the weekend, six people had been discharged from the hospital as four were undergoing treatment, District Magistrate Manish Bansal said, perThe Tribune.And following the collapse, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath formed a committee to look into the cause of the deadly collapse, the outlet shares.

Adityanath has reportedly also announced a payment of ₹200,000 (around $2,400 USD) for relatives of those who died and ₹50,000 (around $600 USD) for those injured, along with free treatment.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A police complaint has since been filed against the cold storage facility’s owner and two others associated with the property, perThe Independent, as the roof was alleged to have been reconstructed months ago, but not up to safety protocols.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the collapse onFriday, writing, “The accident in the cold storage in Chandausi, Uttar Pradesh is tragic. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this. Under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is making all possible efforts for relief and rescue. I wish speedy recovery to all the injured.”

source: people.com