Hyderabad, March 26 Two persons feared killed and some others trapped when a six-storey under-construction building collapsed in Telangana's Bhadrachalam town on Wednesday.
Police rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation along with other departments.
The incident occurred in the Super Bazar centre area of the temple town in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the afternoon.
It was immediately not clear as to how many people might be trapped under the rubble. Area residents believe that about six people may be trapped inside.
Police, fire services, revenue and panchayat raj departments were participating in the rescue operation. Officials were mobilising cranes and other heavy machinery to remove the debris.
Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also likely to join the rescue operation.
Senior police and municipal officials rushed to the spot and were monitoring the rescue and relief operation.
The builder had reportedly laid slabs for five floors on an old structure where some people were already living. Officials suspect that the design fault and poor quality of construction led to the incident.
The owner was also constructing a temple next to the building and had collected donations in the name of a trust. There are allegations that the owner had taken up construction of the building without due permission from the authorities concerned.
Locals said the municipal authorities had served notices to the owner, directing him to stop the construction. They said that despite complaints, the authorities failed to take action, which resulted in the tragedy.
Whenever officials were warning the owner, he would pause the construction work for a few days but would resume it later.
Bhadradri Kothagudem district Collector Jitesh V. Patil and Superintendent of Police Rohit Raj were monitoring the rescue operation.
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