Goa building collapse: Death toll rises to 19

The death toll in Canacona building collapse has gone up to 19 after one more body was recovered, officials said.

"One body was recovered last evening and another one late night, taking the death toll to 19," Director of Fire and Emergency Services Ashok Menon told PTI.

The rescue operation, which had stopped after two adjacent buildings tilted, resumed yesterday afternoon.

The under-construction building in Chawdi area of Canacona, 70 kms from here, collapsed last Saturday. Its location on a narrow lane, a kilometre off the national highway linking Goa to Karnataka, had made rescue operations difficult.

According to the officials, at least ten more bodies are still under the debris.

The state government has called in special machinery to demolish three adjacent buildings, including the two which are tilted.

The operation to demolish the buildings will start in the afternoon, officials said.