Jaipur: One person died and nearly 15 others are feared trapped under the debris of a three-storey restaurant that collapsed in Rajasthan’s Kota on Saturday night, an official said.
“The incident took place at around 9 pm on Saturday when nearly 15 people, including some staff and customers of the restaurant were inside. The total number of people who have been trapped is yet not confirmed. But, eight of them were pulled into a serious condition and were rushed to the hospital while one of them died on the way,” state education minister Madan Dilawar, who was present at the spot, confirmed.
The deceased is nearly 20-year-old and a native of West Bengal, said Dr Narendra Nagar, CMHO of Kota district hospital. Identity of the victim is not yet known.
Nagar told the reporters, “Eight people were shifted here- of whom five including a child are serious. The condition of rest of the three people are stable. Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man from West Bengal died.”
According to the officials familiar with the matter, the building is located in Kota’s Talwandi area where another building next to it was under construction for the last few days.
“The construction work in that building had probably caused some frequent vibration in this building leading to damage. Prima facie, it was also quite old. However, the reason for the collapse will be ascertained after a thorough examination. We will also contact the municipality officials to check whether any notice was issued to the building,” said Kota collector Peeyush Samaria.
Many of the locals said that they also heard a blast before the building collapsed. “Soon after the mishap, the police along with an SDRF team reached the spot and started a rescue operation which is still underway,” said the DSP of Kota first circle Yogesh Sharma.
He also added that the police have cordoned off the area. “No FIR has been lodged yet. We are rescuing the people and rishi g the injured ones to the hospital now for treatment. Further probe is underway,” Sharma said.