NEW DELHI: Two buildings collapsed in Greater Noida near Delhi on Tuesday as a six-storey under-construction building fell on top of a four-storey next to it. 18 families lived in the four-storey building in the Shah Beri village, according to reports. Three dead bodies have been recovered by the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF so far. Many more are feared trapped.
The National Disaster Response Force or NDRF was called in from neighbouring Ghaziabad to help in the search and rescue operations, along with hundreds of policemen, who are trying to control the crowd.
The crowd, agitated, says the buildings collapsed around 8:30 pm but help only reached an hour and a half later. A local, Praveen Srivastava, blamed unscrupulous builders for the collapse, and said the rescue efforts have been slow. A look out notice has been issued against the builder.
"It took such a long time since the collapse but no rescue workers have reached. Not even an ambulance", he said.
Getting to the area is proving to be exceptionally difficult as the entire stretch is dug up and due to the monsoon, potholes are water-logged.
Heavy machinery has been brought in to clear the debris. Drilling machines are being used to remove metal rods so that the debris can be cleared and the people trapped be reached.
A video showed a policeman dangling from a crane, trying to locate those trapped through the windows of the building.
Locals say this area in Greater Noida west has a lot of small builders, who have constructed multiple 10-12-story buildings.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath taking stock of the incident, asked the District Magistrate to follow up with the NDRF team and the police for relief measures and to ensure immediate rescue.