Bengaluru Building Collapse: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the site where an under-construction building in the Horamavu Agara area collapsed, leading to the loss of eight lives. During the visit, CM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh. The announcement comes hours after Prime Minister Modi expressed expressed his grief and announced Rs 2 lakh to the kin of those who lost their lives in the tragic incident on October 22.
Addressing the media at the collapse site, CM Siddaramaiah confirmed that eight people had lost their lives and several others were injured. He announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased and assured that medical expenses for the injured would be covered by the government. "This was an unauthorized construction, and the collapse was due to substandard work, not rain. A notice has been issued, and Assistant Executive Engineer Vinay K has been suspended. Zonal officials will be given notice. Didn't such incidents happen when the BJP was in power? As LoP I have visited the spots of such incidents. We are not running away from our responsibilities," he told ANI.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. "Anguished by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a building in Bengaluru. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover soon," the PMO’s post read.
The collapse, which occurred at Babusapalya near Hennur, led to the rescue of 13 people who were trapped under the debris. According to police, the building's owner, his son, and the contractor have been taken into custody as investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident. Rescue teams continue to clear the site and search for any remaining victims.