Panna, 30 JAN

Three labourers were killed and 16 others injured on Thursday in a slab collapse incident at JK Cement factory in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, local MP Vishnu Dutt Sharma said.

The factory is located near Amaanganj town, part of the Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency.

Police and district officials did not immediately confirm any casualty figure.

"Three labourers were killed and 16 others injured at an under-construction unit inside the factory. The condition of two injured persons is serious," said Sharma, the state BJP chief.

The incident took place around 12 noon, said district Superintendent of Police Sai Krishna S Thota.

Several laborers were feared trapped under the debris, and a State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF) team was participating in the rescue operation, he said.

Sharma said he has demanded that the factory management should compensate the victims as per the rules, and provide jobs to the relatives of the deceased on compassionate grounds.