The death toll climbed to 11 in the building collapse in Karnataka’s Dharwad, according to officials on the ground. Ten others are feared to be trapped inside. The under-construction building in Kumareshwara Nagar, located within Dharwad suburban police station limits, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon at 3:40 pm.
Rescue operations continued for the third day on Thursday, led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Over 100 NDRF personnel have been pressed into service along with officials of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and State Fire and Emergency Services.
Close to 60 persons who were trapped under the debris have been rescued, and some of whom received serious injuries and are being treated at hospitals. A magisterial inquiry, to be headed by a Deputy Commissioner, has been ordered to ascertain the reason for the incident.
The deceased are Salim Makandar (35), Asit Hiramat (32), Mubusab Raichur (48), Mehbusab Desai (55), Maheshwar Hiramat (63), Aslaṁ Sēkha (45), Divya Unakal (8), Draksayni (45) and Ismail Takkeda. Three persons are yet to be identified.
A partial completion certificate had earlier been issued by the Hubbali-Dharwad Municipal Corporation to the owners of the building.
An FIR was registered on Tuesday and police are currently on the lookout for the five persons who own the building. The accused includes Gangadhar Shintry, the father-in-law of former Congress Minister Vinay Kulkarni.
The accused have been booked under Section 304 (pertains to punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and is a non-bailable offence) Section 337 and 338 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who had earlier instructed Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar to personally monitor the rescue and relief process, will visit the accident site on Thursday.
Meanwhile, former CM Jagadish Shettar visited the accident site demanded Rs 10 lakh to be given as compensation to the families of the deceased