A three-story building at Ramajogipeta in Andhra’s Visakhapatnam district, collapsed, leaving three people dead and five others injured In the early hours of Thursday, March 22. Two children and a youth from Bihar were killed in the incident.
According to locals, the building collapsed at 1.30 am on Thursday. Rescue teams of NDRF, police, and fire personnel retrieved three bodies from the rubble. The deceased were identified as Durgaprasad (17), Anjali (10), and Chotu (27). All three were said to be trapped under the debris and could not be rescued in time. According to the residents, Anjali and Durgaprasad were siblings, and Anjali had celebrated her birthday just before the building collapsed.
Meanwhile, the parents of the deceased children, Rama Rao and Kalyani were injured in the accident. They were shifted to King George Hospital along with three others – Siva Sankar, Krishna, and Roja Rani, who were also injured in the accident. Their condition is reportedly stable.
Eight people were living in the three-storeyed building, according to one of the residents who was hurt in the accident. Rama Rao's family resided on the third floor, another couple lived on the first floor, and two bachelors lived on the ground floor.
Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police CH Srikanth said, “The foundation of this house became weak because the neighbour dug up the nearby land for a foundation, according to prima facie evidence. He was having a borewell dug in the nearby land as recently as yesterday. A case has been registered, and investigation is on.”
Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Commissioner P Rajababu visited the spot and said it was a 40-year-old building. Speaking to the media he said, “In our primary findings, we believe that the building seems to have no strength to hold three floors of weight, as it was constructed without pillars. Moreover, it has been raining continuously for the past few days and this could have caused the collapse.”
The Commissioner added that old buildings at risk, had already been identified and notices were also sent. “Usually, the owners get some time to act after receiving the notice. They either have to demolish the building or vacate it. We will take action on owners who do not follow the rules,” Rajababu said.