A roof slab at an under-construction church building in Mandi Krishnapuram near Katpadi in Vellore district collapsed on Thursday. The mishap killed three workers and injured eleven others while labourers were pouring concrete for the new Church of South India structure. Witnesses reported that a twenty-foot steel scaffolding supporting the wet concrete gave way suddenly, trapping several men under iron rods, wooden planks, and wet cement.
Fire and rescue personnel, the National Disaster Response Force, police, and the district administration responded swiftly, working for hours to rescue survivors. The injured were taken to multiple hospitals, including the Vellore Government Medical College Hospital, the Christian Medical College, and a facility in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. The district administration has ordered a formal inquiry into the structural failure, and construction at the site has been halted.