Bengaluru news: The death toll in the Babusapalya building collapse in Bengaluru rose to five after search and rescue teams recovered four additional bodies from the debris, police confirmed on Wednesday. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Fire and Emergency Services have been working tirelessly since the incident occurred on Tuesday.
Heavy rain was pounding the city when the under-construction seven-storey building came crashing down, leaving many trapped. Authorities revealed that one worker's body was retrieved soon after the collapse, bringing the total number of fatalities to five, as reported by PTI.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Bengaluru), D. Devaraja, the rescue operations have led to the recovery of 13 people, but three more remain missing. “The search operation is ongoing to locate those still unaccounted for,” he stated.
One of the survivors, Vakeel Paswan, recounted the harrowing moment of escape. "Three of us managed to get out, but one of our colleagues couldn’t. I was working on the sixth floor when it happened. I still can’t process what took place," he shared in shock.
The collapse has brought to light concerns over construction violations. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who visited the site on Tuesday night, revealed that 21 people were initially trapped under the rubble. He noted that the construction lacked proper permissions, calling the structure "illegal." Assuring accountability, Shivakumar emphasised that those responsible will face strict legal consequences.
"We will stop all these illegal constructions and I will also instruct the registrars to not accept the transfer of such illegal properties which have no plan sanctions," he said, as per PTI.
The state government has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse and enforce accountability for building code violations.