A devastating accident unfolded at the Ennore Special Economic Zone thermal power project near Ponneri on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Nine migrant workers from Assam lost their lives, and another suffered injuries, when scaffolding at a construction site catastrophically collapsed.
The tragic event occurred while the workers were engaged in constructing a concrete arch for the 1,320-MW thermal power station. Reports from a senior official in the Avadi police commissioner’s office confirm that the iron scaffolding, positioned over 20 feet high, gave way without warning.
In the immediate aftermath, fellow workers bravely attempted to rescue their colleagues. All ten injured individuals were swiftly transported to Government Stanley Hospital. Sadly, nine of them succumbed to their injuries en route, while one worker remains under medical care at the hospital.
The Kattur police department has initiated an official investigation, filing a case to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the collapse.
The victims, all migrant workers hailing from Assam, have been identified as Munnakempral, Vidayum Pravotsha, Sumon Karikap, Deepak Raijiung, Sarbonit Thausen, Pranto Sorong, Paban Sorong, Phaibit Phonglo, and Bimaraj Thausen.
J. Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation, is currently at the hospital, overseeing the situation alongside other senior electricity officials.