Hubballi (DHNS): Six people were killed and at least 15 injured when a over 100-year-old building on the Hubballi railway station premises collapsed on Monday afternoon.
The building, which housed the parcel office of the South Western Railway (SWR) and the Railway Police station, came crashing at about 2:15 pm, trapping a few staff members and visitors.
The injured have been shifted to the Railway Central Hospital here, and the condition of two people is said to be serious.
The joint rescue operation involving fire fighters, the disaster management squad, the police and SWR personnel continued late into the night.
The rescue personnel managed to get in touch with one Saleem Eeti on his mobile phone. After speaking to him they started pumping in oxygen through a pipe. Eeti could not be rescued, but one Rehaman was lucky and was rescued, said a policeman.
Rescue operation was hit as a large number of people gathered at the spot. As the remaining walls of the building were also in a dangerous condition, the rescue team repeatedly asked people to stay away.
“The building was old and poorly maintained. We ran out on hearing cracking sound in a pillar. Some could not come out and were trapped,” said constable B S Mohan, who was injured in the accident.
Interestingly, the police station was shifted to an adjoining building just a few days ago and some remaining materials were being ferried away when the incident occurred. The railway staff stated that the parcel office, too, was going to be shifted shortly.
SWR general manager Pradeep Kumar Saxena, Police Commissioner Pandurang Rane, Deputy Commissioner P Rajendra Cholan and other officials supervised the rescue operations.
The deceased are: Parcel office chief commercial clerk Timmareddy (58), constable Dakshayani Goudar (35), booking agent Saleem Eeti (32), police writer Siddayya Hiremath (32) and two visitors, Kailas Rajani (62) and M Galeppa (38).
A few people, including a policemen, S S Dixit, are suspected to be still trapped.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced Rs 2 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased. District in-charge minister Vinay Kulkarni also visited the spot and blamed the railway officials for delay in vacating the premises.
Hubballi: Railway parcel building collapse: 5 killed, many injured
Hubballi (PTI): Five persons were killed and several others injured here when an old Railway parcel office building collapsed today, a top police official said.
“We have recovered five dead bodies, four male and a female, from the debris of the collapsed old Railway parcel office building,” Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Pandurang Rane told PTI here.
Asked whether any railway employee was among the dead, he said, “A Railway employee, GRB (Group B) employee and a civilian, could be among the dead … we are investigating,” Rane said.
Rescue operations are still on, he added.
The old building near the Railway station housed parcel office on the ground floor and Railway police station on the first.
Railway police have partially vacated the building. Earlier, a large number of people had gathered at the spot, with police making an effort to vacate it fearing the building might collapse further.
Hubballi: Several feared trapped in Railway parcel building collapse
Hubballi (PTI):Several persons are feared trapped under the debris of an old Railway parcel office building that collapsed here today, police said.
Rescue operations were on with emergency teams rushing to the spot, police said adding, some injured persons were being treated at a local hospital.
The old building near the Railway station housed parcel office on the ground floor and Railway police station on the first.
Railway police are said to have partially vacated the building.
A large number of people have gathered at the spot, with police making efforts to vacate it fearing the building might collapse further