6-storey residential building collapses in Surat, several feared trapped

Police and fire department teams are present at the spot, Rescue operations are underway

A person was killed and three to four others were still feared trapped under the debris as a six-storey residential building collapsed in Pal area of Surat city in Gujarat on Saturday afternoon, officials said. While a woman was rescued soon after the collapse, the body of a man was pulled out at night, said Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot.

The structure collapsed around 2.45 pm. The search and rescue operation was on as locals claimed that three to four persons might have been still under the debris, Gehlot added.

The building was constructed in 2016-17, the police commissioner said. "Around five flats were occupied, mostly by those who work in factories in this area. When rescue work started, we heard the cries of those who were trapped. We rescued a woman from the rubble and sent her to hospital. Later, the dead body of a man was recovered," said Gehlot. Surat district collector Sourabh Pardhi also reached the spot to oversee the search and rescue operation being carried out by the police, fire services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).