Hyderabad: At least 10 people were killed and 16 others injured when a hotel building collapsed in Secunderabad even as authorities stepped up efforts to pull out those trapped in the debris.
“The number of dead has risen to 10 and at least 16 others who suffered injuries were rushed to hospital,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Zone) R Jaya Lakshmi told PTI.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, along with ministers Danam Nagender, Geeta Reddy and Mukesh Goud, visited the collapse site and also Gandhi Hospital where the injured were undergoing treatment.
The two-storeyed Hotel City Light and Bakery, located on RP road in Secunderabad, crashed at around 6 AM on Monday.
The deceased include hotel staff and also customers who went to have tea, officials said. Police, officials of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), fire department and CISF personnel were involved in relief and rescue operations to clear the debris and pull out the trapped people.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma, who was monitoring the rescue efforts, said at least 20 persons saved from the debris were rushed to Gandhi Hospital.
It was still not clear how many persons were present in the hotel when it collapsed, he said. “…as a precautionary measure we are taking the help of experts in removing those trapped under the debris,” the Hyderabad police chief said.
Some people were still feared trapped in the kitchen wing debris of the hotel, he added.
Eye-witnesses said they saw the building collapse suddenly with a loud sound and heard the cries of people seeking help to be removed from the debris.
GHMC commissioner M T Krishna Babu, who was also at the site of the accident, said there were several old buildings in the area and notices had been served in this regard to their owners. It was being verified if the ill-fated building was also in this list, he said.
The GHMC Commissioner said a case would be filed with police and a thorough inquiry will be carried out into the reasons for the collapse and other related facts.
He said 57 buildings considered unsafe had been identified in the Secunderabad area and notices were served to their owners.
The owners of 15 of these buildings did not respond to the notices and those buildings were demolished during the last one month, he said.
Those who responded to the notices were given time to strengthen the buildings or otherwise they would also be demolished.
The identification of dilapidated buildings and follow-up action would continue, the GHMC Commissioner said. Some of the buildings have been found caught in legal issues which prevented quick action, he said.
The City Light hotel in the busy R P Road area in Secunderabad is frequented by a large number of people, especially the working class, for morning tea, local residents said.
The relatives of those who came to the hotel visited the site and made anxious enquiries.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister called on the injured at the state-run Gandhi hospital. He directed the doctors and officials to provide the best medical care to the injured, official sources said. (PTI)