Bengaluru: In a tragic incident, two people were killed and several others severely injured after an under construction, four-storeyed building collapsed at Dharwad in north Karnataka yesterday.
Many others are feared to be buried inside the building located at Kumareshwaranagar in the heart of Dharwad. According to media reports, most of those trapped were migrant labourers from North India who were engaged in laying the tiles. 10 ambulances and five fire tenders were deployed to carry out relief and rescue operations. 28 people were pulled from the rubble, and the injured have been hospitalised. But about 30 to 40 people were still trapped inside. BSF jawans, who were deployed for the Lok Sabha polls, had also joined in the operation.
It has been reported that the ground floor housed several shops and many people visited it daily. Residents said there were several shops on the ground floor and many people often used to visit there. Media reports suggest the building did not have the capacity to bear four storeys and it was being built by substandard materials.
Political leaders in the state have expressed shock over the issue. Former Karnataka minister and Congress leader from the region Vinay Kulkarni said one of the partners in the building was his relative. Speaking to reporters, he said whoever was involved should face action.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expressed his grief and directed the chief secretary to supervise the rescue operation.