5 Dead, 25 Feared Trapped In Kanpur Building Collapse, 3-Year-Old Rescued

Kanpur: Several people are still feared trapped after a building collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur yesterday, killing five people. Rescue workers, armed with gas cutters, special cameras and earthmovers worked overnight to search for survivors and bodies under piles of rubble. A 3-year-old girl was rescued after being trapped under the debris for over 12 hours. According to officials, at least 25 to 30 people are trapped under the debris of the huge six-storey apartment that was being constructed in Kanpur's Jajmau area.
 The police have filed a case against local Samajwadi Party leader Mehtab Alam who reportedly owned the building. Mr Alam and his family are on the run. The Kanpur Development Authority said they had served three notices to the builders asking for construction to stop as it did not have the necessary permits yet the construction continued. Early investigation indicates the building had a weak foundation.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who were called in from Varanasi and Lucknow, as well as the Army continued relief and rescue operations through the night to find 18 survivors. "This is a highly insecure building. Wide spaces are not column supported. So it will take time," Alok Kumar Singh, an official of the NDRF, said.
 Lakshmi, the 3-year-old daughter of one of the labourers, who was on the fifth floor of the building when it collapsed, had a miraculous escape. According to officials, a rescue dog of the NDRF alerted the workers to signs of life under the debris. Rescue workers then dug a small hole to hear sounds of sobbing before finally being able to reach her around 4 am today. She escaped with minor injuries.

Most of the victims were labourers and their families from Chhattisgarh. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the sixth floor was being constructed. Without warning, the building crumbled like a pack of cards and thereafter there was chaos and wails for help, an eyewitness told news agency IANS.

(With inputs from agencies)