Ghaziabad building collapse: Injured labourers say were forced to work despite crack

Labourers say a crack had appeared on one of the building columns but that they were told to fill it and carry on with their routine work.

New Delhi: At least two people were killed and many injured when an under-construction five-storey building in Ghaziabad's Dasna came crashing down on Sunday. Most of the injured are labourers who were working at the site and have said that the builder had forced them to carry on with the daily schedule despite a visible crack appearing in the building.

News agency ANI quoted one of the injured labourers as saying that a crack had appeared in one of the building columns early in the morning and that the matter was reported to the builder. "He told us to fill the crack with cement and forced us to continue. We were working on the upper floor, the column on the ground floor must have collapsed on the ground floor," said an injured woman.

An NDRF team and a dog squad was rushed to the site shortly after the building collapsed. Search and rescue operations began soon after with people trapped under the debris being removed with extreme caution. 

Ghaziabad District Magistrate said an inquiry has been ordered to find out the reason for the collapse. "Prima facie, there seems to be issues with the quality of the building. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. Seven people have been rescued and sent to the hospital. Rescue operations are underway," Ghaziabad DM Ritu Maheshwari said.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath also instructed Ghaziabad DM and SSP to visit the site and take stock of the situation, and to assist in rescue operations. He also directed them to lodge an FIR against those guilty.