4 killed, many trapped in building collapse
GREATER NOIDA: At least four people were killed and several others trapped under the debris of two residential buildings that collapsed in a village in Greater Noida — one of the fast-developing real estate hubs on the outskirts of Delhi, officials said on Wednesday.
The collapse in Shahberi village, some 30 km east of the capital, took place between 8.30 pm and 9 pm on Tuesday, apparently due to “too much moisture in the walls of their basements and poor construction material used” in the buildings, an official said.
While the number of people trapped was not known, residents estimated that some 50 persons, mostly labourers, may be lying under the heap of the rubble. The rescuers found three bodies in the morning.
By late afternoon, they spotted another whose one leg was initially visible through the broken slabs of concrete. It took them three to four hours to retrieve the fourth body, apparently of a female. The only body identified was of Rajneesh Bhuimali, 36, who worked as a mason.
Rescue efforts were on till late Wednesday evening as the rescuers cut through the concrete and iron rods using drills, sledgehammers and chain saws.
Sniffer dogs were also being used at the site to smell for signs of life. Roads leading to the area were dug up at several places apparently due to ongoing construction work.
The pits were filled with water from monsoon rains, making it difficult to take cranes and drilling machines to the site.
Four people, including the builder Ganga Prasad Dwivedi, have been taken into custody, Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (Meerut Zone) Prashant Kumar said.
The area where multi-storey shopping and residential complexes is a ubiquitous sight is still underdeveloped with rocky roads strewn with mud and water.