Residents of a five-storeyed residential complex had a providential escape when the building caved in and rested on the stilt parking in Shanti Nagar here on Friday.
As the pillars of the apartment building, known as Shyamala Sadan located opposite the old RTO office, started giving way at around 5 p.m., a majority of those inside managed to flee to safety.
However, seven girls in the 8-15 age group, who were practising dance in a flat in the first floor of the complex, remained stuck in the building along with the dance teacher and two women. Till late in the evening, no casualties were reported but two girls were feared to have been trapped in the debris.
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As the news of the building collapse reached them, the district Collector and Superintendent of Police rushed to the spot along with Fire Services department officials. They rescued the dance teacher, two women and five girls during the four-hour-long operation. Even as the rescue operation was going on, the building continued to cave in, posing a challenge to the personnel. According to the preliminary information, 19 out of the 20 flats in the apartment complex were occupied. But most of the residents were away from their homes attending to offices when the mishap took place.
A sudden downpour that lasted about an hour hampered the rescue operations. Police asked residents in neighbouring houses to vacate as they feared that five-storeyed complex may collapse at any moment.