The death toll from the collapse of a building under construction at Kasavanahalli on Thursday, rose to five with two more people losing their lives.

Over twenty workers at the site were trapped in the debris when the building collapsed on Thursday.

The under-construction building had five storeys. 

Police and personnel from the State Disaster Relief Force were on the ground to rescue those trapped, with officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) joining them. 

The building was located at Kasavanahalli on Central Jail Road near Haralur.

The Fire and Emergency Services, NDRF and Civil Defence personnel swung into action, with search operations lasting for over 24 hours after the incident.

Three people were confirmed dead in the immediate aftermath of the incident on Thursday.

Two workers were rescued by NDRF personnel, however Hazrath (18) succumbed to internal injuries after he was shifted to a private hospital. 

The body of Raja, who worked as the watchman of the building was also recovered late on Friday.

Officials taking stock of the situation gave a grim assessment that they expected the death toll to rise even higher. 

“By Saturday morning, we may recover one or two more bodies,” said Abdul Ahad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, speaking to The Hindu.

“The rescue operation will continue till Saturday evening as we are clearing the debris part by part using hammers and cutters. Heavy machineries are not being used as we fear more workers are trapped inside,” said Ravi Shankar, Divisional Fire Officer, Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services, speaking to Deccan Chronicle.

Bellandur Police are searching for the owner of the building and the supervisor of the building site, who are both on the run. 

Police are questioning Sameera, co-owner of the building, who has been detained.