Surat building collapse: 7 killed, more feared trapped; rescue operation underway

Seven people died and some others are still feared to be trapped for over 12 hours after a multi-storey building collapsed.

In the Sachin area of Gujarat’s Surat on Saturday amid heavy rain for several days in the region. While a woman was rescued soon after the collapse, the body of three others was pulled out by night, Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said.

Surat building collapse: What we know so far
The building collapsed around 3pm on Saturday in the Sachin area of Gujarat’s Surat. Several people living in the building are trapped under the debris.

Immediately after the incident, police and fire brigade reached the spot. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the fire department are conducting the rescue operations, the police said.

According to the police on Sunday, seven bodies have been retrieved from under the debris so far, while some people were still strapped. Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot, who arrived at the scene to oversee the rescue operation, confirmed that the voices of trapped persons were heard at the beginning of the rescue efforts.

A woman was successfully rescued who was trapped under the debris.

Among the 30 flats inside the building, four to five were occupied, and the rest were empty, reported ANI citing officials. Reportedly, several people were at work, and those who were sleeping got trapped. Notably, the building was constructed in 2016-17.

Meanwhile, in another incident in Gujarat this year, four workers were injured after a section of an under-construction medical college building in Morbi town collapsed in March. While, another labourer was rescued after being trapped in the debris for seven hours. The incident took place around 8 pm on March 9 while workers were working on roof filling on the first floor of the new building.