Building collapse in Kota kills two, 40 feared trapped under debris

Kota (The Uttam Hindu): A tragic accident took place in the educational city of Kota on Saturday night, which shook the entire city. A two-storey under-construction building suddenly collapsed in Indira Vihar, located in the Jawahar Nagar police station area of the city. In this accident, two people including a coaching student died after being buried under the debris. The rescue operation which was carried out immediately after the incident has now been completed and all the people buried under the debris have been taken out. A total of 13 people were injured in the accident, out of which 5 were discharged after first aid, while 8 injured are undergoing treatment in the hospital.

People were eating in the restaurant when the accident happened.

According to reports, the incident occurred around 8:45 pm on Saturday night. At the time of the accident, the building's restaurant, named "Delhi Non-Veg," was bustling with activity. It's reported that a total of 30 to 40 people, including customers and 10-12 staff members, were present in the building at the time of the incident. The sudden collapse of the building caused panic in the area. Hearing the screams, local residents responded quickly and began rescuing those trapped under the debris, taking them to the hospital, even before the authorities arrived.

Status of the dead and injured

Two people have lost their lives in this horrific accident. One of the deceased is a coaching student, identified as Aranya, a resident of West Bengal and a student at Allen Coaching Institute. The second deceased is said to be around 13 to 14 years old, and efforts are underway to identify him. Meanwhile, the nursing staff of the medical college has identified one of the deceased brought to the hospital as 23-year-old Bhupendra, also a resident of Kota. The injured include two women named Sajida and Shalin. The administration has cut off power to the entire area as a precautionary measure.

The crane arrived late, causing public anger.

Upon receiving information about the accident, police, ambulance, and fire brigade teams arrived at the scene. However, local residents alleged that the rescue crane arrived about an hour and a half late. They stated that if the crane had arrived on time, the rescue work could have been carried out more quickly. District Collector Piyush Sanwaria and Additional District Collector Anil Singhal assessed the situation on the spot. Education Minister Madan Dilawar and Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar also visited the hospital to inquire about the well-being of the injured.

Eyewitnesses told what they saw

A student injured in the accident said he had gone to a restaurant with his friends for dinner when the entire building suddenly collapsed like a house of cards, burying them under the rubble. Fortunately, rescue teams managed to rescue 15 people from the debris in time. Construction on the building was still ongoing, yet commercial activities were still taking place, which is now the subject of investigation.