Three killed in Gurugram building collapse after heavy downpour

CHANDIGARH:  Three people were killed and one severely injured when a three-storey building collapsed in Khawaspur village Gurugram on Sunday night after heavy rains. Sources said the bodies of Pradeep Sharma and Tiny Bhardwaj were pulled out of the debris after 19 hours of rescue operation. Robin’s body was retrieved late night while rescuing Pradeep Choudhary, who is under treatment at a civil hospital.

The three deceased worked in a neighbouring warehouse and lived in the building which was in a dilapidated condition. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Haryana Police and fire brigade had to struggle to retrieve the bodies as the rescue operation was disrupted due to heavy rains.

Eyewitnesses said the victims were sleeping when the incident took place. “The building was not in a good shape and we informed the owner about it. At night, we heard the sounds of the crack and rushed out to save our lives. The building collapsed in minutes,’’ said another resident of the building.

The police registered a case against the company owner and manager for negligence with respect to pulling down or repairing the building. No arrests have been made so far. Waterlogging and traffic congestion were witnessed across the city on Monday as the downpour continued in the morning. 

Many parts of Gurugram were waterlogged especially the low lying houses in DLF Phases 1 and 3 and Suncity Township because of downpour. The three underpasses at Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk and IFFCO Chowk were closed. Power supply was also snapped in a few areas.