Toll rises to two, SDM-led committee to probe tragedy

1 held, another on the run; no more people under the debris, says NDRF report

- Nikhil Sharma

MOHALI: Rescuers on Sunday pulled out another body from the debris of the three-storey building which collapsed in Mohali's Sohana village around 5 pm on Saturday, taking the death toll to two. The operation concluded after 23 hours of search by the rescue teams.

As per the National Disaster Response Team (NDRF) report, only two people were trapped under the debris.

The deceased was identified as Abhishek Dhanwal, 30, of Ambala, who worked in an IT company in Mohali. According to the police, Dhanwal was exercising in the gym when the building collapsed.

The building housed a gym in the basement, ground and the first floors while the top two floors were paying guest accommodations. "Abhishek, along with a few other people, had initially rushed out of the building after being alerted by a nearby shopkeeper, Salman, who saw the structure tilting. But he went inside again to collect his mobile phone and failed to make a safe exit before the building came crashing down," a senior police officer said.

As per information, after the building collapse, Abhishek was heard crying for help from under the debris for several hours. His body, as per the official report, was recovered nearly 16 hours later. His wife broke down at the spot after being informed about Dhanwal's death.

Earlier, rescue teams had recovered the body of Drishti Verma, 20, daughter of late Bhagat Verma of Theog in Himachal Pradesh. She was pulled out of the debris over four hours after the incident and rushed to a private hospital in Sohana, where she was declared brought dead. Her cousin, who stayed with her, had left for her home town before the incident while Drishti was sleeping in her rented accommodation when tragedy struck.