Gurugram roof collapse: Rescue operation on, police start probe

Police confirmed the death of two residents and said at least four people were still trapped under the debris.

GURUGRAM: The rescue work at Gurugram’s Chintels Paradiso condominium in Sector 109 continued on Friday morning after the ceiling of multiple floors collapsed. Police confirmed the death of two residents and said at least four people were trapped under the debris.

Rescue ops continue at the site (ANI)

Police commissioner KK Rao said it would take at least a few more hours to clear the debris. “The rescue teams are facing a huge challenge in removing the debris. Meanwhile, we have formed teams to investigate the incident and a case will be registered against those found responsible,” he said. He added there was no clarity yet on the number of people trapped.

Officials said a man’s body was retrieved from the debris around 9.15 pm on Thursday.

Om Prakash, an inspector of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said they have identified locations where people are trapped. “A body of a woman is visible, but we are unable to pull her out as the debris are falling over and the passage gets blocked. We are not sure how many people are still trapped due to which we must be extra cautious while carrying out the rescue operation. Our canine squad played an important role in identifying the location where the people were trapped,” he said.

The rescue team said that at least one man trapped in the debris has been spotted and was communicating with them.

Teams of NDRF, State Disaster Response Force, police, and fire brigade are carrying out rescue operations.

Residents said the ceiling of the dining area collapsed from the sixth to the ground floor around 5.30 pm on Thursday. Renovation work was being carried out on the seventh floor of the 18-storey tower.

RS Bhath, the district town planner, said his department will look into the legality of this building. “A team is at the spot and is supporting the police and other agencies. A probe to identify the reasons behind the collapse would be conducted by the district administration, while we will look into the legality of the structure,” he said.

The residents were planning a protest against the developer.