Building collapse: All seven bodies retrieved, rescue operation called off

Rescue teams retrieved all seven bodies from the site of a building collapse here, following which the operation was called off, officials said Friday.

"The seventh body was retrieved late last night and the operation was called off around 3.30 am this morning after a thorough search in the rubble," an National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)official told PTI.

On Thursday, the bodies of six labourers were retrieved after the under-construction, four-storey building collapsed in a village here. The newly-laid ceiling on the top floor of the building had crashed, triggering the collapse of the entire structure.

During the rescue operation, over 300 personnel from the Fire department, district administration, NDRF managed to retrieve all the seven bodies that were trapped under the debris in Ullawas village near Sector 65 in Gurgaon.

Four of the deceased, identified as Kuldeep (32), Vishal (17), Altaf (24), Mohit (19) were residents of Uttar Pradesh, while one Anand is a native of Bihar's Samastipur, said Gurgaon Police spokesperson Subhash Bokan.

"The identity of one more deceased was yet to be established," he said.

The state government has announced a compensation relief of Rs 3 lakh each to the family members of the deceased.

All the victims were asleep when the building collapsed, Bokan said, adding that a magistrate-level enquiry has been initiated into the incident.

Police said they are on the lookout for the building's owner, a resident of Ullawas village.