One killed, five trapped in building collapse in Bengaluru

Police said poor construction resulted in collapse. The labourers were taking shelter under the half-constructed building when the structure collapsed, the police added.

One worker died, and many were injured after an under-construction building collapsed in Babusapalya near Hennur in Bengaluru on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) amidst incessant rains. Initial probe revealed that poor quality of construction led to the incident and the rains made the building more vulnerable.

The police and Fire and Emergency Services team said 14 people were rescued from the debris of the six-storied building located in Anjanadri Layout and taken to different hospitals in the city. Three of them are in ICU. There were 20 workers in the building at the time of the incident, and operations are on to rescue five people who are said to be trapped.

The deceased has been identified as Armaan, 26, from Bihar. They were inside the building because of the rain.

The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the opposite building, which showed the building abruptly falling like a pack of cards.

Water rushed into basement

An eyewitness said there were seven labourers working on the ground floor laying tiles while the rest were working on the first floor. Rains started around 1 p.m., and suddenly, water gushed into the basement as there was excavation work in the morning. This loosened the soil and the building crashed, he added.

The rescued workers hailed from Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and districts of North Karnataka, Additional Commissioner of Police, West Zone, Satish Kumar, who is supervising the rescue operation, said. The Fire and Emergency Service personnel, along with the NDRF team and the dog squad, continued search operations to locate the missing persons. The team is using cutters and welding machines to break through the iron rods.

Action against owner

The owner of the building, Muniraju Reddy and his son, Mohan Reddy, from Andhra Pradesh, live in Malleswaram. Efforts are on to secure them, said the police.

The BBMP officials were at the scene to ascertain whether there were any violations in the construction. The officials suspect that the poor quality of construction materials has led to the collapse.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Labour Minister Santosh Lad visited the spot and promised action against the building owner.

The police are waiting to record the statement of the victims and legal action would be initiated against the building owner and site engineers, who are presently absconding, the police said.

Published - October 22, 2024 06:06 pm IST