An under-construction building in the Indian city of Dharwad collapsed on 19 March claiming the lives of at least two people and leaving around 152 more trapped under the debris, AFP reported, citing the district's regional emergency officials. Emergency services arrived at the scene soon after the collapse. At least 20 ambulances and heavy machinery for debris removal have been spotted.
An injured being shifted to the hospital #DharwadBuildingCollapse #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/j5x67GjdVp
— TOI Bengaluru (@TOIBengaluru) March 19, 2019
A search and rescue operation is currently under way. At least 30 people have been rescued and sent to nearby hospitals, The Times of India reported.
#SpotVisuals: An under-construction building collapses in Kumareshwar Nagar, Dharwad, many feared trapped; Search and rescue operation underway#Karnataka pic.twitter.com/zOfdnPH2zD
— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2019
Although the building was still under construction, the first two floors had already been rented out with around 60 shops functioning at the time of collapse. One eyewitness has suggested that around 150 people were inside the shops when the incident took place.
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Local residents, interviewed by The Times of India, say the quality of the building's construction was low and that it was a miracle that it passed the inspections.
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