7 bodies recovered from collapsed building in Surat; woman rescued alive

Surat: The death toll in the collapse of a six-storey building in Gujarat’s Surat city has gone up to seven with the recovery of six more bodies overnight, police said on Sunday.

The residential building, located in Pal area, collapsed at around 2.45 pm on Saturday.

While a woman was rescued soon after the collapse, the body of a man was pulled out on Saturday night, an official earlier said.

Rescue teams later pulled out six more bodies from the debris, according to police.

Seven bodies have been recovered in the operation that continued through the night, Sachin GIDC police station inspector Jignesh Chaudhari said.

After the incident, the rescue operation was launched with the help of teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local fire department.

A woman rescued soon after the building collapse was rushed to a hospital where she was undergoing treatment, Chaudhari said.

“While the operation to remove the rubble continues, we do not think there is anyone else trapped inside,” he said.

The building was constructed in 2016-17, Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said on Saturday.

Around five flats were occupied, mostly by those who work in factories in the area, he said.