Death toll in Himachal building collapse climbs to 13
Shimla: Five more bodies were retrieved on Monday from the debris of a building collapse in Himachal Pradesh’ Solan district, taking the death toll to 13, officials said.
Twenty-eight people were injured after the four-storey building, which housed a restaurant, collapsed on the Nahan-Kumarhatti Road on Sunday evening following heavy rains, they said.
The bodies of 12 Army personnel and a civilian were extricated from the debris, the officials said.
Solan Sub Divisional Magistrate Rohit Rathore said one person was still feared trapped under the debris.
However, the actual number of those trapped inside would be clear only after the rescue operation ends, which was expected to be over by the evening.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who visited the spot on Monday morning, said initial investigation has found that the structure was not built up to specifications.
“A magisterial inquiry has already been ordered. Strict legal action will be taken against erring persons after getting the report,” he said.
A first information report (FIR) was registered against the owner of the building, he added.
“There are more such buildings in the state. Owners have constructed them without following building by-laws. Whatever is required to be done, will be done to check it,” he said.
KV Online
