A man was killed while six others were injured after an under-construction building of a restaurant collapsed at Kuanwala area here on Sunday. It is believed that the poor quality building materials coupled with incessant rains triggered the incident in which the two-storey building of the restaurant adjacent to the Combined Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS)-Nursing, collapsed with front portion of the building. Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel were assisted by local people to evacuate those trapped in the rubble.
The Superintendent of Police (SP) Rural, GC Dhyani told The Pioneer that the incident occurred at 11.45 am and the rescue and search operation was started immediately. He informed that one person Bhanu Pratap a resident of Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh died in the accident while three others Murli, Naresh and Ram lakhan were rescued from the collapsed building. Incidentally all four were the labourers working in the building. Dhyani informed that three students of Nursing institute, Rachna Bhandari, Varsha Rawat and Rinki Shah, who were residing in a portion of the building also suffered minor injuries. The SP said that the injured were admitted the hospital and all of them are out of danger.
Dhyani informed that prima facie it appears that poor quality construction material was being used in the building which caused the accident. He added that a case against the building owner is registered in the Doiwala police station.
As the news of the building collapse spread, large number of people from nearby places gathered at the spot. One of the onlookers said that the building caved in with a big sound. The locals informed that due to holiday on Sunday, the restaurant was devoid of the students of nursing institute who usually throng the place. They opined that more casualties would have occurred if the accident had happened on the weekdays.