As rescue operations continued on Sunday at the site of the collapse of a four-storey building in Sohana village at Mohali in Punjab, the police booked two building owners in the incident. Officials confirmed that two persons died in the incident.
The building collapsed on Saturday evening, trapping at least five people, according to officials. A 20-year-old woman hailing from Himachal Pradesh passed away from injuries after being died after being rescued from the rubble in critical condition. She succumbed to her injuries after being rushed to a hospital, according to reports.
Later on Sunday, another body of a 29-year-old man, identified as Abhishek Dhanwal from Ambala, was also recovered from under the debris, officials added. Mohali sub-divisional magistrate Damandeep Kaur in a statement confirmed the second death in the incident.
Officials said that law enforcement authorities booked two owners of the buildings in connection with the collapse. have been working since Saturday evening to address the crisis. Medical teams, along with an ambulance, have also been deployed at the site since Saturday evening.
An aerial view of the site of the building collapse at Mohali in Punjab | PTI
The Indian Army Western Command posted on social media, "Engineer Task Force with debris clearance machine [and excavators] are operational at site. Top debris [was] removed, and efforts [are] being made to reach the basement."
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced, "Sad news has been received that a multistorey building near Sohana in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) has collapsed. The entire administration and other rescue teams have been deployed at the spot. I am in constant touch with the administration."
#WATCH | Rescue operation by the personnel of the Indian Army and NDRF continues in the morning after a multi-storey under-construction building collapsed in Punjab's Mohali yesterday, killing one. pic.twitter.com/phoY2NKOSe
— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2024
"Our teams are working. Efforts are underway to clear the debris as soon as possible. Lighting arrangements have been made for the operation," said Mohali's senior superintendent of police, Deepak Pareek.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the building owner had a plot of land next to the site. On this plot, digging was going on in a bid to construct a basement. "No permission was taken and no concerned agency was informed about the unauthorised digging," Pareek said.
