Stairway passages of 20-year-old building collapse, 50 people rescued

Vadodara: Around 50 residents of 24 flats on Ajwa Road were evacuated after stairway passages of two floors of a residential-cum-commercial complex collapsed early on Tuesday. The C-shaped building, which is around 20 years old, has only a staircase in the centre. It has shops on the ground floor and apartments on the three floors above.
Station officer (fire) of the Panigate fire station Amit kumar Chaudhary said that the passage of one of the wings on the second floor fell as the structure had been weakened. Due to its impact, the one on the first floor also crashed.
“There was no way out for those staying on these two floors as they could not reach the only staircase in the building. We rescued around 50 persons including senior citizens and children,” said Chaudhary.
Chaudhary said the building had not been maintained properly. tnn