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Buildings Collapse In India After Heavy Rain, Dozens Killed

The death toll in two separate building collapses in India reached 27, authorities reported on Monday. More victims who are trapped under rubble are still being rescued. On Monday, authorities also r...
Buildings Collapse In India After Heavy Rain, Dozens Killed
Written by Val Powell
  • The death toll in two separate building collapses in India reached 27, authorities reported on Monday. More victims who are trapped under rubble are still being rescued.

    On Monday, authorities also reported that the death toll in the city of Chennai is up to 19. Rescuers had a difficult time during the rescue operations due to the heavy rains. According to Chennai Police Commissioner Sebastian George, “50 workers were believed to be present at the construction site at the time of the collapse. Rescue operations are still on.”

    The police arrested six people who were said to have a connection with the collapse of the Trust Heights building. Those who were arrested were employees of Prime Sristi Housing Private Housing Ltd, the developer of the building. Well over a hundred employees of Prime Sristi Housing have also been charged for various violations including culpable homicide (not amounting to murder).

    In a separate incident in New Delhi, a crumbling building collapsed on Saturday. Reports indicate that the building was illegally constructed years ago. The collapse may have been caused by the construction work that was happening on an adjacent building.

    According to officials, building collapses are not uncommon in India. They have seen dilapidated and poorly-constructed buildings end many lives over the past years.

    Based on a report by an official from the New Delhi Municipal Council, many of these types of accidents happen because of unauthorized constructions. People tend to build structures or extra floors without securing the right permits.

    Another leading cause of these incidents is corruption, as many officials authorize risky construction projects. In addition, poor quality materials are often used for the buildings.

    In January, there were at least 15 people who were killed when a residential building that was under construction collapsed in Goa. Late last year, there was also an old building that collapsed in Mumbai. In April 2013, a building collapse happened in a suburb of Mumbai were at least 72 people died.

    Image via YouTube

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