Seven bodies were pulled out of the rubble a day after a six-storey building collapsed in Surat, officials said on Sunday. The residential building, which had 30 apartments and five were occupied, collapsed in Sachin Pali village amid incessant rains over the last few days.

“The search operation continued throughout the night. Seven dead bodies have been recovered,” Chief Fire Officer, Basant Pareek told news agency ANI. The seventh body was pulled out at 6 am, he added.

While the search operation is still on, rescuers believe no more residents are trapped under the debris.

On Saturday, a woman was rescued from under the debris, while 15 others were injured when the building came crashing down at around 2.45 pm, officials said. 

Rescuers worked overnight to remove large concrete slabs that formed a mountain of debris at the site. NDRF and SDRF workers cut through the concrete to reach the trapped residents.

The building, constructed in 2017, had five families living inside it when it collapsed. According to police, several residents were at work when the collapse occurred but many others, who worked night shifts, were sleeping inside.

Locals said chaos ensued after the sudden collapse on Saturday and they rushed to save anyone they could from under the debris. While the building was only eight years old, most flats were vacant and dilapidated, officials said.

“Around five flats were occupied, mostly by those who work in factories in this area. When rescue work started, we heard the cries of those who were trapped. We rescued a woman from the rubble and sent her to hospital,” said Commissioner of Police, Surat, Anupam Gehlot.

Earlier, the senior police officer had said that around 6-7 people were suspected to be trapped under the rubble and rescue operations were on to pull them out. “We can hear their voices from inside the rubble. They will be rescued soon,” he said.

New Delhi:

Several people are feared trapped after a six-storey building collapsed in Surat’s Sachin Pali village amid several days of incessant rains. One woman was pulled out alive from under the debris, while 15 people have been injured in the incident, officials said.

Horrifying visuals from the spot showed what remained of the building that was built just eight years ago – large chunks of concrete slabs lay on top of the other in a mountain of debris.

Five families were inside the building when it collapsed this afternoon, spiking fears of several being trapped in the concrete rubble.

The police and fire department officials rushed to the spot and launched an operation to look for those trapped and rescue them. Visuals showed rescue officials climbing through the wreckage, looking for life under it.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force has been called in to help with the rescue work.

Locals spoke of the moment when the building came crashing down in front of them, the chaos that ensued, and how they rushed to save anyone they could.

According to the officials, the building, although not much old, was in a dilapidated condition, and most flats were vacant.

Dr Saurabh Parghi, Surat’s District Collector, said, “A six-storey building collapsed. We rescued one woman a while ago. According to her, four or five more could be trapped inside. Teams of the NDRF and SDRF have been pressed into action. We are hopeful that we will be able to rescue the rest within a few hours.”

Surat’s Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot also seemed confident that those trapped under the wreckage will be rescued by tonight. “We can hear their voices from inside the rubble. They will be rescued within an hour or two,” he said.

The administration will investigate what led to the collapse.