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Ludhiana: Close shave for woman, 2-yr-old daughter as building collapses
Fire brigade personnel responded quickly to the scene and managed to rescue three individuals who were trapped inside the building
A woman and her two-year-old child had a close call when a century-old building collapsed in Bandeya Mohalla near Chawal Bazaar on Tuesday afternoon. The incident has left the residents of the area in shock, as nearby houses have also developed cracks, raising concerns about the safety of the surrounding structures. The incident occurred around 1.30 pm claimed by the earby residents.
According to information three families reside in this building where the front portion of the building collapsed and fortunately none of the family members were at the front portion but few of the members were rescued later by the fire personnel.
A CCTV camera captured the moment when the woman, Khushi who resides just next to this building, was seen emerging from the debris with her child in her arms. Bricks had been falling onto the street since Monday, and the front portion of the structure had begun to lean dangerously, signaling an imminent collapse. Despite these warning signs, no preventive action was taken, leading to the disaster.
Fire brigade personnel responded quickly to the scene and managed to rescue three individuals who were trapped inside the building. Meanwhile, three others who were nearby managed to flee and avoid injury. Khushi, however, was not as fortunate. She and her daughter were caught under the debris as she was walking by the building. Though she managed to shield her child, Khushi sustained injuries to her arm and head.
Deepika, another eyewitness, described the terrifying scene: “We were watching the building closely around 1:30 pm because it looked unstable. Just a few minutes later, the whole structure came down. We had to run for our lives.”
Both the police and the fire brigade arrived promptly and rescued those trapped.
Krishan Gupta, a tenant in the collapsed building, shared that he had narrowly missed the incident. “I left the building just moments before it collapsed. Three people were still inside, but they were in the rear part of the building and were rescued by the fire brigade later.” He explained that the tenants had been searching for alternative housing but hadn’t been able to move before the collapse.
Meanwhile, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal assured residents that steps would be taken to identify and address other unsafe buildings in the city to prevent future incidents like this.
