Anantapur: Six persons including three women and three children were killed when a two-storeyed under-construction building collapsed and fell on an old building adjacent to it on Saturday. Three families were living in the building at Old Chairman Street in Kadiri town. Heavy floods in Kadiri town led to both the new and old buildings getting damaged.
The deceased were identified as Farunnisa, 8 months old, Saidunnisa, 2, Yasika, 3, Banu, 30, Fathima Bee, 65 and Fairoza, 65. The building which is under construction fell early on Saturday.
The Somu family and Kareemulla family lived on the first floor while four hotel workers of a canteen lived on the ground floor of the building. Soon after the both buildings collapsed, 15 persons were stuck in the debris. Rescue teams rushed to the site and had to carry out operations using floodlights in the dark.
The rescue operation continued till Saturday evening with nine persons being rescued with the help of a JCB machine. Among the six victims, Farunnisa and Saidunnisa were siblings and children of Kareemulla while Banu, Yashika and Fathima Bee were of the same family.
Kareemulla, his wife Hafeezunnisa, Hidayatulla, 35 and Habibulla, 70 and his wife Kalimunnisa,65 and Goutham Naik, 23 Uday Naik,25, Tarun Naik,33 and Raju, 55 were rescued after more a 10-hour rescue operation.
All of them suffered serious injuries and were shifted to hospitals, SP Dr Fakeerappa Kaginelli told this newspaper. Sources said a gas cylinder also exploded soon after the buildings collapsed causing additional damage and injuries to the victims.
