A laborer was killed earlier today when an under-construction building collapsed in Bangalore’s Babuspalya during heavy rains, PTI reported.
“17 people are feared to be trapped inside the building and rescue operations are being carried out with the help of other agencies,” a senior police officer told PTI.
A fire department official told PTI that according to preliminary investigations, the entire building collapsed after which people were trapped below. Two rescue vans of Fire and Emergency Department have been engaged in rescue operations.
The building collapse occurred on a day when heavy rains lashed several parts of the city.
Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed in the country’s IT capital on Tuesday to evacuate the victims with the help of coracles.
North Bengaluru is lashed by rains as many areas in and around Yelahanka are inundated, PTI reported.
According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Yelahanka received 157 mm (six inches) of rain in just six hours from midnight on Tuesday to 6 am on Tuesday. Kendriya Vihar in Yelahanka resembled a river with waist deep water.
Rescue workers rescued people using coracles. Normal life was disrupted in north Bengaluru due to water logging. People preferred to stay indoors, while many travelers missed their flights, trains and buses. Children could not go to school in flood affected areas. Many houses in low-lying areas and near lakes were submerged.
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Household goods, vehicles and electronic equipment were damaged. There was heavy traffic jam on several important roads. Ballari Road leading to Kempegowda International Airport witnessed a block for several kilometers. There was also heavy traffic congestion on Tomakuru Road, Old Madras Road and Kankapura Road.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath knelt down to reach out to residents living in the area.
Also read: Over 100 houses inundated as rain-like cloud bursts in north Bengaluru: Report
‘We can’t stop nature’: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “You must have seen in the media what is happening in Dubai and Delhi. There is pollution in Delhi and it is raining in Dubai, which is a drought-prone region. We are managing the country.”
Also read: JDS attacked the Karnataka government after Bengaluru was flooded due to heavy rains.
“We can’t stop nature but we are there, I am also gathering information from the whole team, my visit is not important because if I go I will get media attention but the aim is not to get publicity but to give relief from the rain. People are affected,” Shivakumar, who also holds the Bangalore development portfolio, added.