10 dead, Chouhan announces ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for deceased

INDORE: The death toll in Saturday night’s hotel collapse in Indore rose to 10 even as the search and rescue operation was called off on Sunday morning. The condition of two injured persons is still critical, authorities said.

In the wake of the incident, district collector Nishant Warwade ordered a magisterial inquiry, while Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed.

He also granted a compensation of ₹50,000 for those injured in the incident.

Among the dead, was the manager of the hotel, Harish Soni. Six of the deceased are yet to be identified, additional district magistrate Ajaydev Sharma said. Two of the deceased were women.

While the exact cause of the collapse is yet to be determined, Soni’s family members said he had told them that a portion of the hotel had fallen down in the morning and he was getting the roof repaired.

It is possible that the repair work triggered the collapse, though no municipal official was willing to come on record.

A team of the fire brigade, the district’s disaster management authority and Indore Municipal Corporation officials carried out the rescue operations throughout Saturday night.

The team said the possibility of anyone else being trapped under the rubble was unlikely. Apart from a lodge-cum-eatery, the building housed several shops.

DIG Harinarayanchari Mishra said two beat cops were among the first to reach the site and rescue two people.

“The building was old and renovated at least thrice. The basement was always filled with water,” said Vijay Mishra, who runs a travel agency near the bus stand that is close to the collapsed building.

Officials said that the hotel is owned by one Dinesh Parwani, who is absconding with his entire family since the incident.

THE ADDITIONAL DISTRICT MAGISTRATE SAID THERE WERE TWO WOMEN AMONG THE DEAD AND SIX ARE YET TO BE IDENTIFIED