Hyderabad building collapse: 4 bodies retrieved, 2 rescued from debris

Hyderabad: Four bodies were today pulled out from the debris of an under-construction building which collapsed here last night, while a woman and her son were rescued.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) said tonight that four bodies have been retrieved so far.

Citing information given by the rescued woman, GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy told PTI that eight more persons were suspected to be trapped under the debris.

The rescue operation could well continue into night, he said.

The seven-storey building at Nanakramguda in the Cyberabad zone came crashing down last night.

Earlier today, Cyberabad police commissioner Sandeep Shandilya had told PTI that Rekha, around 35-year-old, and her son (4), who hailed from Chhattisgarh, were pulled out alive from the crash site.

The woman and her son were admitted to a hospital for treatment, he said.

All the victims of the tragedy are workers who lived in the basement of the building. Except one family, all others belonged to Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.

The state government has arranged for sending the bodies and family members of the deceased to their native places in Andhra Pradesh through the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), the GHMC said.

Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao visited the spot and announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of those killed.

The state government would take tough action against the building owner for alleged violation of construction rules as well as the civic officials “who looked the other way”, he said.

A family member of the building’s owner had been detained and two GHMC officials had been suspended, the Minister said.

PTI