In a horrific incident, seven people died and several are feared to be trapped when a two storey building collapsed near Ejipura in Bengaluru.
This incident occurred on Monday at around 7:00 A.M. Eyewitnesses claimed to have heard a loud blast like an LPG cylinder and then saw the 20 year old building come crashing down.
The police reported the fire brigade and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF,) personnel rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies that also included three women.
The Executive Director of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited denied the reason for the collapse was a cylinder blast.
The director was quoted saying, “Highlights in sections of media that Bengaluru Ejipura building collapse is due to LPG blast is not validated (sic).”
He further added,”We are unable to carry out further investigation since (the) police have cordoned off the area.”
The victims have been identified as Kalavathi (68,) Ravichandran (46,) Prasad (18,) Ashwini (28,) Saravana (18,) Maladri (25) and Sarva Kalyan (19.)
The Karnataka Government has announced an ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakhs to the family of the deceased.
The fire brigade rescued a three year old girl and a 26 year old woman, who are undergoing treatment for severe burns.
Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited the site and explained, “Two families were residing on the ground floor, while one was on the first floor. Kalavathi and Ravichandran were on the first floor. They died on the spot, while two children were injured.”
During the rescue operation, three firefighters were injured when a wall fell on them. They were immediately rushed to a hospital where they are being treated. The officials also reported a bomb squad was sent to investigate the cause of the blast.
