Three-storey building collapses in village near Gurugram, 4-5 suspected trapped inside

Teams from the Gurugram Police, fire brigade and health department are engaged in the rescue work, while a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is expected to reach the spot soon, officials of the district administration said

A three-storey building in Khawaspur village, located around 20 kilometres from Gurugram in Farrukhnagar block collapsed around 7pm on Sunday, with four to five persons suspected to be trapped in the debris, according to the police.

Police said they rescued one person who was trapped inside so far. (HT Photo)

Officials said that after frantic efforts, one person was rescued from the debris. He suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a private hospital for treatment. Teams from the Gurugram Police, fire brigade and health department are engaged in the rescue work, while a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is expected to reach the spot soon, officials of the district administration said.

The incident took place around 7pm and the building that collapsed was located next to a warehouse, the police said. The spot where the incident took place is located around 2.5 kilometres from the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway.

Rajiv Deswal, the deputy commissioner of police (crime), said that nearly four to five people are likely to be trapped under the debris. “We have already rescued one person, who was stuck in the debris. The police teams reached the spot as soon as information was received through the security guards deployed in the area. Fire tenders and rescue teams also reached and are carrying out a rescue operation,” he said.

Locals who were at the spot said that the brick and concrete building was around 15 years old and that the warehouse workers lived there. “The building is quite large, but only a few workers were staying there. The bricks were not plastered and the walls were exposed to elements. The structure was not safe and this, perhaps, led to the collapse,” said Tej Singh, a resident of Khawaspur.

Deswal said they the one person who was suffered severe injuries to his legs. He has been admitted to a private hospital and is reported to be stable. “We are suspecting at least four more labourers are trapped inside,” he said.

The building is adjacent to a food grain warehouse and labourers were inside the building when it suddenly collapsed. A majority of the people were out for dinner, officials said. “No one has exact details of how many people are trapped and we have called force from Bhondsi also,” Deswal said.

The district administration said that ambulances, fire tenders, earthmovers and JCB machines were made available for the operations.

Yash Garg, the deputy commissioner of Gurugram, said that rescue teams were rushed to the spot and they engaged in rescuing the workers stuck in the debris.