The death toll in the under-construction building collapse in Dharwad rose to 12 on Thursday after five bodies were recovered by the NDRF and SDRF teams. The teams also managed to rescue two more persons, which took the number of survivors so far to 61.
The survivors pulled out of the debris on Thursday are Prema Unakal and Dawal Sab, who were trapped there for over 30 hours, raising hopes of more survivors. However, students who had come to a cyber centre in the same building and are feared trapped, could not be traced till evening.
The extreme heat at the crash site hindered operations, said officials. At one point, the rescue teams had to use water cannons to settle the dust generated from digging. Several volunteers extended a helping hand to rescue workers by distributing water bottles, juice, and eatables. The operation is likely to conclude in the next two days. Even on the third day after the accident, a large number of people, particularly relatives of those trapped in the debris, were hoping that their beloved ones would be rescued. Deputy Commissioner Deepa Cholan said a compensation of ₹2 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of those who died.