Three dead, many feared trapped in Hyderabad building collapse; second incident within months

HYDERABAD: A housewife and a boy were rescued and three bodies were recovered from the debris of the under-construction building that collapsed at Nanakramguda here, last night. 

A housewife, Rekha (25), and her son Deepak (3) were rescued alive from the debris of the building today by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel.

Rekha is suffering from hip bone fracture and her son is injured in head. Doctors at Continental Hospital, where the two were admitted, said that there is no threat to the woman's life.

NDRF personnel, who are involved in the rescue operation, used victim locating camera to spot and rescue Rekha and Deepak. 

The bodies of Paidamma (47), Gowrieshwari (18), and an unidentified man which was badly injured, were retrieved from the debris.

Five families of construction workers were living in the building that belongs to one Satyanarayana of Tolichowki. The families hail from AP and Chhattisgarh.

Rescue operations are still underway at the site.

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#buildingcollapses: NDRF teams to utilise latest #technology to locate victims under debris by using #cameras, @NewIndianXpress

— Mouly Mareedu (@Mouli_TNIE) December 9, 2016

#BuildingCollapse: police say building owner Sattu Singh is absconding, one of his family members is detained by cop, @NewIndianXpress

— Mouly Mareedu (@Mouli_TNIE) December 9, 2016

• The body of a man was retrieved, at close to 9am on Friday, from the debris on the site of a seven-storey building that collapsed Thursday night in Nankramguda, Hyderabad. The body was taken to Osmania General hospital.
• Earlier, a woman, Rekha and her son were rescued alive from the rubble by NDRF personnel at around 5.15 AM on Friday. They were taken to a private hospital in Gachibowli for treatment. 
• NDRF personnel and Telangana Police started rescue operations at around 10PM on Thursday and operations are still on.
• Ten people who were members of a family from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh were working and living at the building site for the past year. All 10 are feared to have been trapped beneath the debris.
• At least four others, hailing from Chhattisgarh, also lived and worked on the site. These four include Rekha and her child.
• Names of the victims feared trapped under the building's debris.

1. Komatapalli Polinaidu, 32 years, (ChilakaPalli)
2. Komatappal, Venkata Lakshmi 28 years, (ChilakaPalli)
3. Neteti Sabaya, 38 years, (ChilakaPalli)
4. Neteti Tydamma, 35 years, (ChilakaPalli)
5. Neteti Gowri, 14 years, (ChilakaPalli)
6. N Shankar, 18 years, (ChilakaPalli)
7. Piridi Pollinaidu, 30 years, (Subhadra)
8. Piridi Narayanamma (reportedly pregnant), 23 years, (Subhadra
9. Piridi Mohan, 3 years, (Subhadra)
10. Durga Rao, 22 years (Ravam) 

#UPDATE One dead in Hyderabad building collapse, rescue operations continue pic.twitter.com/tMzFJr5yJq

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 9, 2016

Rescue operations are underway by five teams of National Disaster Response Force who rushed to the spot along with teams of  fire, police and GHMC.

#BuildingCollapse: Workers trapped under debris, officials take up rescue operation, @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/zP3P8Ol00g

— Mouly Mareedu (@Mouli_TNIE) December 8, 2016

Excavator clearing concrete of G+5 building which crashed at #Nanakramguda #Hyderabad close to 13 workers lived in it @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/57Ttz4B3ZE

— ShivaShankerK_TNIE (@Shanker_TNIE) December 8, 2016

The building owner took permission to construct G+5 building, but built a G+7 building, with a penthouse, GHMC officials said. The locals claimed that the construction was completed in  eight months. The building also has a cellar. Laying of tiles and plumbing work was being completed. Cyberabad police commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said at least 10 people were trapped.  

Home minister Naini Narasimha Reddy, minister Padma Rao, GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy and other officials rushed to the spot to oversee rescue operations. Meanwhile, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is New Delhi, directed the GHMC to take necessary measures to rescue those trapped.

Watch video of rescue ops, post collapse, below: 

A seven storeyed under construction building collapsed in #Hyderabad, @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/Syzvp5aa1Y

— Mouly Mareedu (@Mouli_TNIE) December 8, 2016

One Lakshmi, hailing from Vizianagaram, said her brother Polnaidu, his wife Vijaya Lakshmi and their three-year-old son lived and worked in the building.  In tears, she told Express she had spoken to her sister-in-law just half an hour before the collapse.

T Venkateshwar Rao, watchman of a nearby building, said he had dinner with the families of those in the building at around 8 pm. The incident occurred at around 9.25 p.m.

“All of us had dinner there. The watchman of the building used to stay there with his wife and daughter.  Other workers used to stay in the cellar of the building. It was shocking when I went to check after the building crashed. It collapsed like a pack of cards,” Venkateshwar Rao said, adding close to 13 people stayed in the building.

A youngster who stays in the nearby apartment said he was among the first to alert the police about the incident. Rescue operations are still going on well past midnight and excavators were clearing the rubble.

More than 10 ambulances were on standby near the crash site.