Mohali building collapse: 2 dead, rescue operation ends

MAGISTERIAL PROBE ORDERED

CHANDIGARH: The collapse of a three-storey building in Punjab's Mohali has claimed two lives, with rescuers pulling out the body of a man and a fatally injured woman from under the rubble during a multi-agency 23-hour rescue operation that concluded Sunday evening, officials said.

A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident which, according to a preliminary inquiry, occurred during alleged unauthorised digging in the adjacent plot belonging to one of the owners of the building.

Drishti Verma, 20, from Himachal Pradesh, was rescued from the rubble in critical condition and was rushed to a hospital, where she succumbed to injuries on Saturday night, while the body of Abhishek Dhanwal, 29, was pulled out on Sunday.

Besides the two owners of the building, the contractor undertaking the digging work has also been booked, the officials said, adding strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible.

The building owners -- Parwinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh -- were booked at Sohana police station under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday night, SSP Deepak Pareek said.

A short video clip circulating on social media purportedly of the incident shows the building, which housed a gym and paying guest accommodations, tilting to one side before collapsing. The building also had a basement.