The death count in the Bengaluru building collapse incident increased to five on Wednesday morning, as efforts are underway to clear the debris and rescue the trapped persons. Five people have been injured and thirteen people have been rescued so far, officials said.
The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon in the Horamavu Agara area in the eastern part of Bengaluru.
According to officials, there were approximately 20 people inside the building at the time of the collapse.
The rescue operation resumed this morning amid a continuous downpour in the city. A dog squad also joined the rescue operation, reported news agency ANI.
One of the trapped persons, Ayaaz, was rescued alive after being stuck for nearly 16 hours.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar visited the tragedy site on Tuesday night, stating that 21 people were trapped under the debris. The under-construction collapsed building was being built illegally on a 60/40 land, he said, assuring that strict action will be taken against the culprits.
“The search for the others continues. First we will complete the rescue work and then give a suitable solution. NDRF, SDRF rescue team, fire brigade, and police have done well. I have ordered action against the owners of buildings constructed illegally without permission in Bengaluru. This incident is a lesson for us. To prevent such incidents from reoccurring in the future, it will be made mandatory to obtain permission for the buildings and a team will be deployed to monitor the buildings under construction,” he wrote in a post on X.
“We are labourers working here. When we were on a lunch break at around 1.00 pm, we heard a loud sound, and the building started shaking. A man who was working inside the building died on the spot,” another eyewitness, Mehfoos, stated, while speaking to ANI.