More than 25 people are feared trapped under the debris of a building under construction, on Moulivakkam near Porur on Kundrathur Main Road, which collapsed at 5.30 pm on Saturday.
One person, Marudhu Pandian (40) from Madurai is feared dead.
So far, Fire and Rescue Services personnel have managed to rescue eight people, who have been rushed to nearby hospitals. The rescue operations are still on.
The residential project ‘Trust Heights’, promoted by real estate developer Prime Sristi Housing Pvt. Ltd, had two 11-storey buildings under construction ‘The Faith’ and ‘The Belief’. According to Fire and Rescue service personnel, the ‘The Faith’ collapsed on an adjoining building. More than five people are believed to be trapped in it, they said.
More than 12 fire tenders with about 150 Fire and Rescue Service personnel are involved in the rescue work.
Some residents in the area felt the sudden rains on Saturday evening may have contributed to the collapse of the building. Quoting eyewitnesses, Fire & Rescue personnel said there were about 50 construction workers at the construction site at the time of the collapse.
Jayalalithaa statement
In a statement, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said she had directed the police to initiate action against those responsible for the incident.
A national disaster management team from Arakkonam has rushed to the spot to assist the rescue. She also said that she sent Animal Husbandry minister T.K.M Chinniah to oversee the rescue operations.
(With inputs from Petlee Peter and Sruthisagar Yamunan)
