The Deccan Chronicle 18.08.2010
Building collapse in Saidabad kills threeHyderabad, Aug. 17: Three persons, including two youngsters, died when a building collapsed in Poosala Basthi in Saidabad late on Monday night. Preliminary investigations by the GHMC engineers revealed that the wooden beams supporting the ceiling were completely damaged due to seeping rain and they crumbled taking the structure down.
The deceased were identified as Vijaya Lakshmi, 40, and her two children, daughter Rakshit, 18, and son Rohit, 14. Lakshmi’s husband Mr P. Venkatesham, was not at home when the incident occurred.
His mother, Ms Papamma, who escaped by a whisker said, “We went to sleep at about 10 pm. However, at about 11 pm I came out of the building on hearing heard the sounds of the beams cracking. I shouted for help but no one was there. The building collapsed right then. I could also hear the children crying out in pain soon after the building collapsed… then everything went silent,” she said.
The mayor, Ms Kartika Reddy, visited the spot on Tuesday and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each. The mayor appealed to people living in dilapidated buildings to evacuate and shift to safer places.
In case of any emergency, citizens can contact GHMC’s central emergency cell at (040) 23314289, 23394566 and 9989930324. Meanwhile, the additional commissioner (planning) said circle wise demolitions of dilapidated buildings would be started from August 18.
