Death toll in Bengaluru building collapse reaches eight; owner, contractor taken into custody
BENGALURU: The death toll from the collapse of an under-construction building in Bengaluru's Babusapalya has risen to eight, as six more bodies were recovered during search and rescue operation.
The collapse occurred around 3:40 pm on Tuesday amid heavy rainfall in the city. A total of 21 labourers from Bihar, Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, and Yadgir in Karnataka were trapped when the under-construction building gave way. CCTV footage showed the building’s first floor collapsing before the entire six-story structure leaned and then split into two parts.
A night-long rescue operation involving the NDRF, SDRF, police, and fire emergency services is underway to save the trapped labourers.
A senior officer earlier told TNIE that the death toll was five, with three people still believed to be trapped inside the collapsed structure.
He stated that the police will take appropriate action based on the complaints from the injured once the rescue operations are completed.
"Bhuvan Reddy, son of Muniraja Reddy under whose name the building is being constructed and the contractor Muniyappa who was building it have been taken into custody," a senior police official told PTI.
"Permission was only for construction of a four-storey building but seven floors were being constructed," the official said.
According to police, five of the deceased have been identified as Harman (26), Tripal (35), Mohammad Sahil (19), Sathya Raju (25), and Shankar. In total, 13 individuals have been rescued, while six are receiving treatment at Bengaluru North and Hosmat hospitals.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who visited the site, indicated that the incident may have been caused by the use of substandard materials. Labour Minister Santosh Lad also visited the site to supervise the rescue operations.
"There are several constructions happening in the city using low-quality materials. I have directed officials to investigate to prevent such incidents from recurring," Shivakumar said.
(With inputs from PTI)