At least two people have been killed and six others injured after a five-storey building collapsed in Ghaziabad's Missal Gadi area. The injured have been admitted in a nearby hospital, except a woman and a child who are said to be in a critical condition and have been referred to GTB hospital in Delhi.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, present at the spot, is trying to clear the debris fast to rescue several others who are still feared trapped inside. The rain, waterlogging and cramped streets are causing some hindrances in the process.
"As soon as we got info police was the first responder, rescue is being done on war footing. We have rescued 7 people out of whom 1 died and 6 are in hospital. Once rescue ops are completed we will investigate who are responsible for it," IG law and order told ANI.
NDRF DG Sanjay Kumar said that at least four teams were working on the rescue ops. "It's a congested area but we have portable equipment which helped us. Possibilities are that three more people are inside ,our aim is to complete the rescue soon and if it stretches till night we're prepared for that too,"
The building collapsed around 3 pm on Sunday. The locals and UP Police,w ho were the first responders rescued at least four labourers immediately, while NDRF team rescued the rest. The rescued include two children and two women. The injured people have been sent to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has directed District Magistrate and SSP Ghaziabad to visit the site of building collapse and to take immediate action for rescue operations along with NDRF and lodge an FIR and take action against those guilty.
The chief minister has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh for next of the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured in the incident.
The investigation will be supervised by the Meerut Commissioner, the CM ordered. The builder and others responsible for the collapse will be booked under the provisions of the NSA, he said.
Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari has revealed that on July 12 GDA had served a notice to the building owner for its demolition as it was not authorised. The building was being built despite the notice, the DM said. She has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter and has asked for a report within 24 hours.
The UP Police have arrested six people in connection with the case.
The child, who was playing near the consruction site, was rescued after the under construction building collapsed in Ghaziabad's Missal Gadi today.
Builders Prasanjeet Gautam and Manish Goyal have been identified as main culprits. They both are absconding. Labourers working at the building say that a crack appeared in the column of the building this morning, builder told them to fill the cracks with cement and forced them to continue.
Last Tuesday, July 17, a six-floor under-construction building crashed on a four-storey building next to it, bringing it down as well, in Shahberi village under Bisrakh police station last night. At the time of the accident at least 12 labourers and 8-10 families were residing in the buidilings. Nine people, including an infant, were killed in the collapse.
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