Rescue work continued on the second consecutive day after a multi-storeyed building under construction collasped with the toll rising to 16 and the number of people believed to be trapped estimated to be 20. The incident happened on Saturday afternoon.
Bodies of 14 people were retrieved from the rubble on Saturday, and two more bodies were found on Sunday, according to officials. The Pune-based National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is also aiding rescue efforts at the site. The builder and site contractor are absconding while attempts are on to trace them.
The five-storeyed Ruby Residency building which was being constructed after obtaining permission, unexpectedly collapsed in the coastal town of Canacona, 80 km from here, trapping the on-site labourers. Acting South Goa Collector Venancio Furtado who rushed to the scene said, “We do not know how many people exactly. But there was shouting and screaming from inside on Saturday which suggested that there are atleast 20 people still inside. The number is unconfirmed.”
It appears that some labourers are trapped in a cavity created after a slab fell on some girders. However to get to these workers is a delicate affair because any wrong move could lead to the precariously balanced slab to come crashing down on them.
Goa’s Chief Minister made it to the site late evening, and said he would announce compensation to the deceased. “They (rescue team) are using gas cutters and other machines, but reaching to those trapped inside is not easy,” Parrikar said.
Parrikar also said that he would ensure all buildings adhere to the guidelines of construction that he was notifiying in two days. “We are coming up with guidelines for construction of buildings within the next two days. All buildings will have to adhere to them from now on,” Parrikar said. Occupants of an adjacent which has developed cracks on account of this collapse have also decided to vacate their premises.
State Government’s Town and Country Planning department has begun initiating a probe into the circumstances based on which the permission was given and whether the conditions have been adhered to. The TCP department examines and authorises construction plans had located and were examining the circumstances in which the permissions were granted.
“It appears that the construction had encroached into a neighbouring soft soil paddy field. Prima facie that could have caused one of the columns to crumble. But we have also asked for testing of the material to see if sub standard quality construction material was used,” an official said, not ruling out other real estate projects promoted by the accused firm Bharat Developers and Realtors.