At least 13 people, including a civilian and 12 soldiers, died after a four-storey building collapsed amid heavy rain in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday evening. One Army soldier was still feared trapped under the debris, ANI reported.
Forty-two people have been rescued from the rubble. Among them were Army personnel and 12 were civilians.
The building on the Nahan-Kumarhatti road had collapsed after heavy rain. Those rescued were taken to hospitals nearby. The civilian who died was identified as the wife of the restaurant owner, NDTV reported.
The Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force, the local police and three National Disaster Response Force teams carried out the rescue operations.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has ordered an investigation into the incident. “It is very unfortunate. Rescue operation was started immediately,” ANI quoted him as saying at the site of the collapse. “Orders have been given to investigate the cause of the collapse. As per information received till now, the building structure was not as per specifications.”
“We are praying for some life in the debris,” The Hindustan Times quoted National Disaster Response Force official Ajay Verma as saying.
The cause of the building collapse will be established only after the investigation, Chaman said. “This building was constructed in 2009 and a floor was added to it recently,” he said. “A first information report against the owner has already been lodged.”
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