UP building collapse: Death toll rises to 7

Meerut, Sep 15 (IANS) The death toll in the building collapse in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut rose to seven, said officials here on Sunday.

The three-storey building collapsed in the Zakir Colony of Meerut on Saturday.

Since then rescue operations have been continuing. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were present at the spot and rescue operations were ongoing amid rain in the area.

According to District Magistrate Deepak Meena, three more persons are still buried and the operation is continuing.

Earlier, speaking to reporters, Meena said, "Fourteen people were initially trapped in it, out of which three were rescued earlier. Five more have been rescued now, the rest are still trapped. NDRF and SDRF teams are there... three of those eight rescued people have lost their lives. Our priority is to rescue the remaining people..."

As per reports, the incident occurred around 5.15 p.m. on Saturday following which the emergency services were pressed into service. The owner of the building has been identified as Nafo Alauddin. He ran a dairy from the building.Taking cognisance of the tragic incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the officials to reach the spot and expedite the relief work. He has also instructed the officials to provide proper treatment to the injured.Meerut Division Commissioner Selva Kumari J., Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada, and City Superintendent of Police Ayush Vikram Singh were also present at the spot.

People from the neighbourhood, who were the first ones to reach the spot, continued to help in the rescue efforts.

This is the major building collapse case in the state in the past few daysOn September 7, eight people were killed and 28 others were injured when a three-storey building housing godowns and a motor workshop collapsed in the Transport Nagar area of the UP state capital Lucknow.