One more body was recovered by the Indian Army and the NDRF on Sunday from the site where a three-story building collapsed on Saturday evening in Punjab's Mohali, leaving several people feared trapped under the debris.
One male body was recovered during the ongoing rescue operation, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mohali, Damandeep Kaur said, according to an official statement. The identity of the deceased was being ascertained, the statement said.
“A three-storey building had collapsed. Timely, the police force, NDRF, and army responded. Our rescue operation continued throughout the night. Yesterday, the body of one girl was recovered, and this morning, one more body has been recovered," Viraj S. Tidke, Officiating Deputy Commissioner (DC) said.
Tidke also appealed for public cooperation to ensure law and order are maintained during the ongoing rescue efforts.
The cause of the collapse is yet to be determined, and authorities are investigating the incident.
Visuals from Sunday morning showed officials recovering a body from the debris. With this, the death toll in the tragic incident has risen to two.
A 20-year-old woman from Theog in Himachal Pradesh, has lost her life in the building collapse.
Rescued from the debris, she was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
Another individual pulled from the rubble remains in critical condition at the hospital.
Meanwhile, rescue teams continue their efforts, with two more people feared to be trapped under the debris.
A man hailing from Ambala Cantt told reporters at the site that his 29-year-old son, who used to visit a gym in the building, was missing.
The building, which housed a gym in the basement and had four floors, collapsed due to excavation work being carried out at the adjacent plot by the owners of the building, police said.
Police have booked two building owners in the incident.
As the operation continued at the site, required equipment and machinery were made available to the rescuers, in addition to those brought by the NDRF and Army.
"IndianArmy reacted swiftly for the rescue. In a remarkable display of coordinated efforts, #IndianArmy Columns along with #NDRF and State rescue teams have been relentlessly working to address the crisis.
"Engineer Task Force with debris clearance machine & JCBs are operational at site. Top debris removed & efforts being done to reach the basement," Western Command, Indian Army, said in a post on X.