Dharwad building collapse; death toll mounts to 10

Dharwad: The death toll in the building collapse at Dharwad in north Karnataka mounted to ten on Thursday as rescuers pulled out three more bodies from the debris, police said.

Rescuers had pulled out 55 people from the rubble of the four-storeyed under construction building, which collapsed Tuesday evening at Kumareshwaranagar in the heart of Dharwad, about 400 km from here.

Earlier, Hubballi-Dharwad commissioner of police M N Nagaraj said 55 people had been rescued.

About 150 police, fire and emergency personnel too have joined the rescue operations.

Former Karnataka minister and Congress leader from the region Vinay Kulkarni had said Tuesday that one of the partners in the building was his relative and that whoever was involved should face action.

An eye-witness had alleged that the building did not have the capacity to bear four storeys whereas an extra floor was being added.

“The builders had used substandard materials,” he told reporters Tuesday.

Most of those trapped were migrant labourers from north India who were engaged in laying tiles.