INDIA: More than a dozen people are feared trapped after a section of an under construction hospital building collapses in central India

Record ID: 1373633

  • Title: INDIA: More than a dozen people are feared trapped after a section of an under construction hospital building collapses in central India
  • Date: 26th April 2013
  • Summary: BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA (APRIL 26, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) FIRE TENDERS AND EARTHMOVERS PARKED NEAR THE HOSPITAL COLLAPSE SITE PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL GATE PEOPLE STANDING NEAR THE DEBRIS OF COLLAPSED HOSPITAL WING RESCUE OFFICIALS REMOVING DEBRIS POLICE AND RESCUE WORKERS STANDING AT THE SITE RESCUE OPERATION IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) EYEWITNESS, J.S PURI, SAYING: "This was the female medical ward. The building has collapsed but the ward was empty and we do not know about the casualties so far. But this is a very old building, it was constructed in 1966. It is unfortunate." INJURED BEING CARRIED TOWARDS THE HOSPITAL INJURED BEING TAKEN TOWARDS THE CASUALTY WARD (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) POLICE OFFICIAL, SAYING: "According to the information received by police, a slab has collapsed and many people are feared trapped in the rubble." RESCUE OFFICIALS STANDING ON THE DEBRIS
  • Embargoed: 11th May 2013 21:13
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA3PE5QZHPBLQ6DJHHBQSAGJU21
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Over a dozen persons are feared trapped after portion of a hospital building collapsed at Bhopal in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh on Friday (April 26).
    As per media reports the ceiling of the two-storey Kasturba Gandhi Hospital collapsed, trapping at least a dozen persons and also injuring many others.
    A local who witnessed the incident said the building was in a poor condition and that it was being repaired when the mishap occurred.

    "This was the female medical ward. The building has collapsed but the ward was empty and we do not know about the casualties so far. But this is a very old building, it was constructed in 1966. It is unfortunate," said J S Puri, an eyewitness.
    Meanwhile several fire tenders and earthmoving vehicles along with a platoon of the paramilitary forces were rushed to the site to initiate rescue and relief operations.
    Injured victims were rushed to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit while the personnel engaged in rescue and salvage operations, cut through rubble of bricks and mortar to evacuate the trapped persons.
    Administrative officials confirmed that many people were reportedly buried in debris of the hospital, run by the state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

    "According to the information received by police, a slab has collapsed and many people are feared trapped in the rubble," said a police official.
    The incident has generated immense buzz in the wake of recent building collapse in neighbouring country of Bangladesh.
    The death toll in the Bangladesh mishap rose towards 300 as on Friday (April 25) following the crumbling of an eight storey building housing factories that made low-cost garments for Western brands.
    Many Indian buildings do not conform to safety regulations, with owners constructing extra floors or structures without approval from the concerned authorities and beyond the sanctioned floor space index (FSI) or Floor Area Ration (FAR).
    A shortage of cheap structural dwellings in Asia's third-largest economy has led to a rise in illegal construction by developers who use substandard materials and shoddy methods in order to offer rock-bottom rents to low-paid workers.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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