Lucknow building collapse: 3 more bodies recovered; death toll climbs to 8

The death toll in the building collapse in Lucknow climbed to eight as rescue workers pulled out three more bodies from the debris of the collapsed building.

As many as 28 people have also sustained injuries after the three-storey building, housing godowns and a motor workshop, collapsed in the Transport Nagar area in Lucknow on Saturday evening. The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in the district.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered the bodies of three people, who have been identified as Raj Kishore (27), Rudra Yadav (24) and Jagrup Singh (35), during the rescue operation, Relief Commissioner G.S. Naveen said, reported PTI.

The operations are still underway. According to a district administration official, the focus now is on ensuring that no one else is trapped under the rubble. Most of the victims were working on the ground floor when the incident occurred at 4:45 pm on Saturday.

The building was constructed around four years ago and some construction work was underway at the time of the incident, said police sources. The building had a motor workshop and warehouse on the ground floor, a medical godown on the first floor, and a cutlery warehouse on the second floor.

Akash Singh, who worked in the medical godown and was among the injured, said a pillar of the building had developed a crack. "We had come down to the ground floor because it was raining. We noticed that a crack had developed on a pillar of the building. Suddenly, the entire building collapsed on us," he said, according to news agency PTI.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's office said he has taken cognizance of the situation and and is monitoring the rescue efforts closely.