Three-storey building in Sadar Bazar comes crashing down, three killed

Police officers, along with officials of the Fire department, managed to rescue 12 persons trapped in the rubble and rushed them to Sushruta Trauma Centre, Bara Hindu Rao Hospital and RML Hospital. One of them is critical, police said.
According to officials of the Fire department, the control room received the call around 12.15 pm. Officials said fire tenders were sent to the spot, along with JCB trucks.

During a rescue operation that lasted more than two hours, officials used excavator machines to clear the debris. However, three of those trapped were dead by the time they were pulled out, officials said. The dead have been identified as Kanwar Pal (51), Babloo Paswan (25) and Ashok Singh (25). While Pal and Singh hail from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, Paswan is from Begu Sarai in Bihar.

Police said a case has been registered against building owners Babulal Sagar and Rajendra Kumar, who were illegally adding floors to it. They have been absconding since the incident, police said.Residents of the area claimed that heavy traffic in the densely populated area delayed fire and police officers who were trying to rush to the spot. Soon after the collapse, shopkeepers and residents tried to clear the debris till help arrived.

Police said the owners, who had purchased the 20-year-old building two months ago, had not taken permission from any agency to add floors. When the building collapsed, Babulal was reportedly at the site, overseeing the construction.

“It seems like they were in a hurry to complete the construction. The owners had engaged more than 20 labourers, but because it was a Sunday, many did not turn up for work. The labourers were building a boundary wall on the third floor without proper support on the ground and the first floors. Even the supporting beams on the second floor had been constructed recently. The labourers claimed that they had advised the owners to go slow and wait till the supporting beams and walls were strong,” an officer said.  DCP (North) Sindu Pillai confirmed that a case had been registered.

Praveen Gupta, Commissioner (North), said, “The executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer have been suspended with immediate effect. Inquiry has been ordered and the Additional Commissioner has been asked to submit a report within a week.”