New Delhi, July 13 (IANS): Six people were injured Monday when three huge cranes supporting a launching girder toppled at the same Delhi Metro site where six people were killed a day earlier when a section of the elevated rail track under construction came down in a heap of concrete and steel.

The latest tragedy occurred when around 200 Delhi Metro workers and engineers were gathered at the site of the earlier accident overseeing the efforts to remove tonnes of debris and diverting traffic in Zamrudpur area of south Delhi.

Suddenly, one after another, three cranes of 250 tonnes capacity each collapsed amid a deafening roar, apparently unable to bear the weight of the 31-metre-long launching girder that was dangerously inclined since Sunday's accident.

Monday's tragedy sparked a panic run, with six of the hundreds trying to flee tripping and falling and injuring themselves. Several policemen deployed at the site since Sunday also bolted in visible fear.

One of the cranes, a 16-wheeled monster, fell on a row of shops, flattening three of them. Deshraj Chawdhry, the owner of the shops that had been shut since Sunday, said he narrowly escaped being killed.

"I was standing outside the shops when the cranes collapsed all of a sudden. I could have died had I not run away. I think the government needs to take steps to prevent such accidents," Chawdhry told IANS.

Six workers engaged in diverting traffic were admitted to the hospital with minor injuries. "It seems they fell when they were running away after the incident," Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) spokesman Anuj Dayal told IANS.

Dayal said the crane operators were safe. Others said they were in shock. DMRC engineers, apparently under a gag order, refused to speak to the media.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Ajay Kashyap said the accident took place because one of the cranes was trying to shift some of the weight of the girder on to the other cranes.

DMRC officials admitted that the latest mishap was a setback to get work restarted at the project site that connects central Delhi with Badarpur in the extreme southern fringe of the capital.

"We are keeping the area clear so that the clearing operations can continue. Nearby residents are in shock," Kashyap said. He said that shops and houses in the vicinity were being evacuated.

On Sunday, the elevated stretch of the Metro track in Zamrudpur area collapsed, killing six people and injuring 15 workers. It was the worst accident in the history of Delhi Metro.

According to hospital authorities, two men admitted Sunday remained in critical condition. One is Amar Singh, who has sustained head injuries and internal bleeding. The other man, identified as Amarnath, also suffered head injuries.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre, also in south Delhi, said six people were injured Monday.

Amit Gupta, a doctor at the centre, told IANS that the injured were identified as Manish Datta, Satnam Singh, Kailsah Singh, Dharmendra Singh and Atiq Khan. They received minor injuries.

Kishore Kumar, who owns a small tea kiosk just 50 meters away, said: "There was a deafening noise and there was dust all over. I ran from there with my child and wife."

Sunday's disaster had caused a huge crater on the tarred road and burst a water pipe six feet under ground.

Monday's accident itself took place about two and a half hours after a part of the launching girder fell from a great height, temporarily halting salvage operations.

Fortunately for the nearby Bluebells International School, few students had turned up. Shops selling garden accessories on which a crane fell were also closed.

The accidents found an echo in the Indian parliament Monday where Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy praised Delhi Metro's safety record and denied that the company was in a hurry to complete the project ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

DMRC chairman E. Sreedharan quit after Sunday's disaster accepting moral responsibility but the Delhi government did not accept his resignation.

Back in the saddle, he visited the site twice Monday morning - before and after the latest mishap.

Gammon India, contractors to Delhi Metro, denied any lapse on their part.

Delhi Metro operates three hugely popular lines connecting the northern, central, eastern and southwestern parts of Delhi. About 800,000 commuters use the network covering a total of 190 km.