In the overnight rescue operations conducted jointly by the fire brigade personnel and NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) team from Bengaluru, two more bodies were retrieved from under the debris of the Railway Parcel Office building in Hubballi which crumbled on Monday, taking the toll to seven.
The NDRF team members who scanned the entire area using advanced equipment said there was little possibility of anybody else being still trapped under the debris. Till evening, work on clearing the debris using earthmovers continued.
The bodies that were recovered in the late night operations have been identified as that of General Railway Police Constable Siddaiah Hiremath and Hawaldar S.S. Dixit. Of the seven dead, three were attached to the General Railway Police Station, Hubballi.
Considering the problem they faced in controlling the crowd during Monday’s rescue operation, the Railway Police had barricaded the railway station premises on Tuesday and had diverted vehicles by alternative roads to the station. Traffic curbs helped the rescue teams continue the relief operation smoothly.
Although there were strong rumours about a woman and two children getting trapped under the debris, a search by the NDRF team did not yield anything.
Railway sources said the clearing work might continue till late in the night.
Police Commissioner Pandrurang Rane and Divisional Railway Manager Arun Kumar Jain also ruled out the possibility of anybody else being trapped under the debris.
