Lucknow Building Collapse: Death Toll Mounts To 8, Several Feared Trapped As Rescue Ops Underway

Lucknow Building Collapse: The death count in the building collapse in Lucknow climbed to eight with rescuers pulling out three more bodies from the debris, officials said on Sunday.

28 people were injured when the three-storey building housing godowns and a motor workshop collapsed in the Transport Nagar area here on Saturday evening.

Photo Credit: PTI

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered the bodies of three people, who were identified as Raj Kishore (27), Rudra Yadav (24) and Jagrup Singh (35), during the rescue operation, Relief Commissioner G S Naveen said.

Rescue Operations Underway

Local police, firefighters, and teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were swiftly deployed to the scene. Relief Commissioner GS Naveen Kumar confirmed that rescue teams are working tirelessly to locate and extricate those trapped under the rubble.

"Rescue teams from NDRF and SDRF are actively working to rescue the trapped individuals," Kumar said in a statement to the media.A senior district administration official said they are now focusing on ensuring that no one else is trapped under the rubble.

Police said the building was constructed around four years ago and some construction work was underway at the time of the incident. Most of the victims were working on the ground floor when the incident occurred at 4:45 pm on Saturday.

The injured have been admitted to various hospitals, including Lok Bandhu Hospital, in the district.

According to the officials, the building had a motor workshop and warehouse on the ground floor, a medical godown on the first floor and a cutlery warehouse on the second floor.

Akash Singh, who worked in the medical godown and was among the injured, said a pillar of the building had developed a crack.

"We had come down to the ground floor because it was raining. We noticed that a pillar of the building had developed a crack. Suddenly, the entire building collapsed on us," he said.

CM Yogi Adityanath's Response

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken immediate notice of the incident. He directed local officials to expedite relief efforts and ensure that the injured are quickly transported to the hospital for proper medical care.

"The chief minister has instructed district administration, SDRF, and NDRF teams to accelerate rescue operations and ensure that those injured receive prompt medical attention," the Chief Minister's office stated on X (formerly Twitter). CM Adityanath also expressed his wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in the collapse.

Authorities are continuing to work on the rescue operation, with hopes of recovering the remaining individuals trapped in the debris.

(With PTI inputs)