With the recovery of one more body from the rubble on Friday, the death toll in the under-construction building collapse near here mounted to 15, police said.
Rescue teams led by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Madras Engineering Group Army personnel have rescued 19 people till now. They have been admitted to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) hospital.
“Only 13 bodies have been identified so far. It has not been possible to identify the last two bodies as they are dismembered,” police said.
The under-construction five-storeyed building collapsed on an adjacent students’ hostel in Gandhinagar on January 26.
Three storeys of the five-storeyed building were allegedly an illegal under construction structure, police said.
Police suspect that there are at least 13 more people still trapped in the debris.
The remaining structure of the building is also on the verge of collapse and to avoid further casualties the area has been cordoned off, police said.
Bellary MLA Somashekhar Reddy, who visited the spot on Friday, alleged that district officials and police are not “cooperating” with the rescue teams.
Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa had announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 25,000 to each of the injured. He said stringent action would be taken against officials who allowed such illegal constructions.
