A three-member committee has been constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the case of the Lucknow building collapse. Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Home Department, Dr Sanjeev Gupta, will chair the committee which is set to thoroughly investigate the reason behind the fatal collapse. The committee is expected to submit its report to the government as soon as possible.
The death toll from the collapse has increased to eight as search and rescue operations continue. Apart from the eight deaths, around 28 people have been injured after the collapse on Saturday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the hospital and met with the victims of the tragedy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the tragedy and announced an ex- gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each for the relatives of the workers who lost their lives in the tragedy and Rs 50,000 for the injured victims.
The three-storey Harmilap Building in Lucknow's Transport Nagar area was serving as a warehouse for a pharmaceutical business. The building crumbled around 5 pm on Saturday following intense rainfall, leading to significant waterlogging in the area.
An FIR against the building owner Rakesh Singhal, has been filed on the complaint of Transport Nagar Chowki in-charge MK Singh.
As of Sunday 3 am, rescue teams recovered eight bodies from the debris. Joint Commissioner of Police Amit Verma said that the chances of finding more people trapped under the rubble are slim, but rescue operations are still ongoing. "Our primary focus now is to ensure that no one else remains trapped," Verma said.
The rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have managed to save 28 individuals. The majority of injured have been taken to Lok Bandhu Hospital. CM Adityanath visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the survivors.
Among the identified victims are Pankaj Tiwari (40), Dheeraj Gupta (48), Raj Kishore (27), Rudra Yadav (24), Jagrup Singh (35), and Arun Sonkar (28).
What led to the collapse?
Although the authorities are yet to identify the exact reason behind the sudden collapse, some reports suggest recent truck collisions could have triggered the fall. According to building workers, a truck collided with the building while unloading goods on Friday and again on Saturday.
Survivors of the incident said that they noticed a crack in one of the building's pillars just before the collapse. Akash Singh, a worker from the medical godown who was injured in the incident, reported seeing the crack and moving to the ground floor moments before the structure gave way. "Suddenly, the entire building collapsed on us," Singh told PTI.
The building was reportedly constructed about four years ago and construction work was ongoing in its basement at the time of the collapse. The ground floor of the Harmilap Building housed a motor workshop and warehouse, while the upper floors were used for storing medical supplies and cutlery. The collapse occurred when heavy rain had created challenging conditions in the area.
Recently, India has witnessed multiple incidents of building collapses. Just two days ago, 2 labourers lost their lives after a slab at an under-construction in Mumbai collapsed. Two weeks ago, a wall collapsed in Patna leaving 40 injured. In Indore, an under-construction resort roof collapsed where 5 labourers were killed. Similarly, 40 children were injured after a school balcony collapsed in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki.
CM Adityanath has directed local authorities to expedite relief efforts and ensure the swift treatment of the injured. "The Chief Minister has emphasized the need for immediate medical care and has instructed rescue teams to work diligently to aid those affected," stated a release from the Chief Minister's Office.
"The news of the building collapse is deeply distressing. I have spoken with the District Magistrate and urged that all necessary measures be taken to assist the victims," Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh said in a statement.
