Pune Wall Collapse: 15 Dead After Wall Collapses in Kondhwa, Rescue Operations Underway; See Pics
15 people were killed in Pune on Saturday after a portion of the wall of a residential building collapsed early this morning after heavy rain. Among the dead four children and a woman.
Pune, June 29: At least 15 people died on Saturday morning after a 60-ft-wall collapsed in Pune. According to the fire department officials, among the deceased, ten are men, one is a female and four are kids. The deceased are yet to be identified. Reports inform that the wall near Talab Masjid area of Kondhwa collapsed in the wee hours due to heavy rainfall in the area. Reports inform that the wall that collapsed, wall was adjacent to huts in the area. The rescue operations are currently underway. Dharwad Building Collapse: Death Toll Mounts to 14, Rescue Operations Enter Fourth Day, BJP Demands Arrest of Congress Leader.
As soon as incident was reported, NDRF swung into action and launched a rescue operation. District Collector Pune, Naval Kishore Ram said the wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall. Ram said negligence of the construction company is coming to light with this incident. "Death of 15 people is not a small matter. Mostly were labourers from Bihar & Bengal. Govt to provide help to the affected", he was quoted by ANI.
Pune police commissioner K Venkatesham said investigation into the incident has been initiated. "Our team is investigating the reasons behind the incident. Firm action will be taken against those responsible. We will check whether proper permissions were taken and safety measures were followed", Venkatesham said.
See Pics:
After the wall collapsed into a slum next to an apartment complex, several cars were seen stuck in debris in Pune's Kondhwa area. Rescue personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the fire department are at the site of the accident, searching for people who may be stuck.
Pune has been witnessing a heavy downpour since Thursday. On Friday night, Pune received 73.1 millimetres of rain in 24 hours, the second highest rainfall in June since 2010.
Meanwhile, in Mumbai, a wall in Chembur collapsed on auto-rickshaws around 2 am on Saturday. According to a tweet by ANI, no casualties were reported in the incident and the the debris are being removed. However, in Dadar area, three people were injured after part of a wall collapsed in Meenatai flower market on Friday.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 29, 2019 08:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).