Seven Dead in Surat Building Collapse: Rescue Operations Conclude

In Surat, Gujarat, a six-storey residential building collapsed, resulting in seven fatalities. The incident involved textile workers and took place in a dilapidated building. Authorities have arrested one person involved in collecting rent and booked two owners of the building on charges of culpable homicide.

In a tragic incident in Surat, Gujarat, the death toll in the six-storey building collapse has risen to seven with the discovery of six more bodies, police reported on Sunday.

Authorities have arrested a rent collector and booked two owners of the building on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

A dilapidated residential building in Surat's Pal area collapsed at around 2:45 pm on Saturday, leading to an intense rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and fire brigade teams.

Rescuers managed to save a 20-year-old woman named Kashish Sharma and recovered seven bodies from the debris.

Most of the deceased were textile workers from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

An FIR has been lodged against building owners Raj Kakadiya, currently in the US, and his mother Ramilaben Kakadiya, along with Ashwin Vekariya, the rent collector.

The building was mostly vacant due to its dangerous condition, despite a notice from the Surat Municipal Corporation to vacate it.

The NDRF concluded the rescue operation by 9 am on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies.)