13-year-old girl and aunt injured in granite slab collapse at Elante mall in Chandigarh

A 13-year-old girl suffered multiple fractures after a granite slab of a pillar collapsed at the Nexus Elante mall in Chandigarh on Monday afternoon.

After lunch, the family gathered near the mall’s pillars, taking photos, when a granite slab and pieces of cement from the pillar suddenly collapsed, injuring a 13-year-old girl and her maternal aunt. (HT Photo)

The freak accident comes just three months after a toy train accident at a shopping mall that killed an 11-year-old boy.

The latest incident occurred on Monday around 3.30 p.m., when Pavitar Dikshit along with eight family members and relatives were visiting a mall to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.

According to Pavitar, the family had gathered near the mall’s pillars after lunch, taking photos, when a granite slab and pieces of cement from the pillar suddenly collapsed, injuring his 13-year-old daughter and sister-in-law.

Pavitar’s daughter Maisha Dikshit suffered a fractured hip and ribs while her maternal aunt Surbhi Jain suffered head injuries.

Maisha, who was at the mall to celebrate her birthday with her family, suffered a broken hip and rib injuries in the freak accident. (HT Photo)

The two were immediately taken by an ambulance stationed at the mall to the nearby Eden Hospital in the Industrial Area, Phase 1. While Maisha remains hospitalized with serious injuries, Surbhi received six stitches on her head.

The teenager’s maternal aunt, Surbhi Jain, received six stitches for head injuries. (HT Photo)

In his statement to police, Pavitar recounted the terrifying moment when they heard a loud crash and were hit by falling debris. “We were just standing by the pillars and taking photos when suddenly a huge slab of granite and cement started falling on us. Everything happened so quickly,” he said.

Shortly thereafter, police barricaded the area where the incident occurred as a precautionary measure to prevent further accidents.

“We are aware of the incident that took place in our area. Due to our quick response, our team transported the client to the hospital for initial treatment and care. We also cooperate with the authorities in this regard. We are internally inspecting the facility and taking appropriate corrective actions to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future,” the mall said in an official statement.

Though the teenager’s father has filed a complaint at the industrial area police station, the police are yet to register an FIR in the case.

Earlier on June 22, Shahbaz Singh, an 11-year-old boy from Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, died after the compartment of the toy train he was riding in overturned at the same mall.