CHENNAI: A contingent from the Andhra Pradesh government, dispatched to the collapse site early on Sunday, really helped with estimating how many people may still be trapped under the debris. At last count, officials pegged the number at 36, besides the six Andhraites who had been declared dead. As a majority of the workers were from Andhra, the team was bogged down by requests for assistance from relatives.
It was only after they set up a emergency response centre at a corporation school nearby, that workers streamed in, thankful to have people who spoke Telugu. Pandemonium reigned when Nellore Joint Collector J Rekha Rani held the fort alone from 9 am and collated a list of missing people. “They called people’s villages and homes to ascertain that they weren’t in the rubble,” said a policeman assisting them.
In addition, an MLA from Gajapathinagaram K A Naidu was also present. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is expected to visit the injured and the families on Monday.