One person was killed and four were rescued after two blocks of a four-storey residential apartment in Odhav area of Ahmedabad collapsed Sunday evening . Even as rescue operations are underway, officials believe that there are no more persons trapped under the debris. “There is no chance of finding any more injured persons. We spoke to all 32 families living there and no one has complained of any person missing,” Additional chief fire officer Rajesh Bhatt said, adding that the rescue efforts are likely to be called off in another six hours. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 150 fire brigade personnels were deployed at the accident site to carry out the night-long rescue operation. As a precautionary measure, officials had also evacuated the surrounding apartments.
Authorities had recently got the apartment evacuated, but some residents had returned to live in the building. “The blocks were vacated yesterday by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation officials after it appeared that the building might collapse any time. But a few residents came back today and were inside the building when it collapsed,” Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja told PTI. “Some residents had returned to the building today due to rains despite the AMC officials asking people to vacate their houses,” said Ahmedabad Mayor Bijal Patel. The apartments were built by Gujarat Housing Board in 1999 and each block housed around 150 residents.
Indian Express