The death toll in the recent building collapse in Bengaluru has climbed to five amidst unabated rain that is soaking the city. Officials said that thirteen people had been rescued, and five were injured in the unabated rescue operations to clear the debris and reach the rest of the trapped.
The building, which was under construction, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon in the Horamavu Agara area. At the time of the incident, roughly 20 people were inside. Rescue works resumed Wednesday morning amidst heavy downpours, and a dog squad has been deputed to support the rescue process and locate survivors.
Of them, one Ayaaz was rescued after he had remained trapped for almost 16 hours. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar visited the site Tuesday night and said 21 people were suspected to be trapped under the debris. He said the building was coming up under illegal construction and serious action would be taken against the responsible ones.
“The search for the remaining persons is still continuing. Our priority is to complete the rescue operations and then the comprehensive response,” Shivakumar said. He lauded the services rendered by NDRF, SDRF, fire brigade, and police.
He also warned that action would be taken against owners of illegally constructed buildings in Bengaluru and termed this incident a critical lesson. He suggested that this will be avoided in the future, and to do that, proper permissions for construction will be necessary, as will a monitoring team for current projects.
Waterlogging disrupted life in many parts of Bengaluru. After heavy rainfall, the India Meteorological Department issued a ‘yellow’ alert. The city administration declared a school holiday, while IT companies offered employees a work-from-home option.
