Seven people have died, and several others have been trapped for over 12 hours following the collapse of a multi-storey building in Surat’s Sachin area, Gujarat, on Saturday. The region has experienced heavy rain for several days. While a woman was rescued shortly after the collapse, three other bodies were recovered by night, according to Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot.
1. The building collapsed around 3 PM on Saturday in Surat’s Sachin area, trapping several residents under the debris.
2. Police and fire brigade teams arrived at the scene immediately after the incident. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the fire department are carrying out rescue operations, as stated by the police.
3. By Sunday, seven bodies had been retrieved from the debris, while some individuals remained trapped. Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot, who was at the scene overseeing the rescue operation, confirmed that “the voices of trapped persons were heard at the beginning of the rescue efforts.”
4. A woman was successfully rescued from under the debris.
5. Out of the 30 flats in the building, four to five were occupied, with the rest being empty, according to officials cited by ANI. Many residents were at work, and those sleeping were trapped. The building was constructed in 2016-17.
In another incident in Gujarat earlier this year, four workers were injured after a section of an under-construction medical college building in Morbi town collapsed in March. One laborer was rescued after being trapped in the debris for seven hours. This incident occurred around 8 PM on March 9, while workers were working on roof filling on the first floor of the new building.
