At least 15 people, including five children and a woman, died after a portion of a residential building's wall collapsed due to heavy rains near Talab Masjid area in Pune on Saturday morning. Among the dead, four were children and woman
A section of the boundary wall collapsed on the nearby tin huts, where labourers from a nearby construction site were working, according to the police.
"The wall collapse at around 1:30 am on Saturday, due to heavy rainfall in Pune," said National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) official, Sadanand Gawde. At least three sheds were bogged down under the wall as the wall plundered six feet below the surface.
NDRF rescued three injured people from the site and sent them to Sassoon Hospital. It is feared that some are still feared trapped in the rubble, news agency IANS reported.
The bodies of the 15 labourers retrieved from the site were identified to be hailing from Bihar and Bengal said Pune District Collector Naval Kishore Ram. He also added that a relief amount would be provided by the government to the kin of the deceased, reported news agency ANI.
Police Commissioner of Pune, K Venkatesham said the authorities are investigating whether proper building permissions were taken, reported Hindustan Times.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. An inquiry into the incident has also been ordered.
