On Saturday (August 22), a seven-story unauthorized building under construction collapsed in Hyderabad, a city in southern India, resulting in at least two deaths and multiple injuries.
According to a disaster response official, when the building collapsed, two individuals were trapped under the rubble, and their bodies were later found by rescue teams.
Reported by Hindustan Times, a police officer mentioned, “An under-construction seven-story building in Anjaiah Nagar collapsed. It has been confirmed that two people have died. Rescue teams have arrived at the scene, and debris clearance work is underway, with rescue operations still ongoing. More details will be provided shortly.”
Councilor Arekapudi Gandhi stated that the collapsed building was unauthorized and had previously been halted by the municipal authorities.
“In Madhapur, a seven-story unauthorized building was earlier halted by officials for four months. However, they illegally resumed work recently, and the construction of the basement extended to an adjacent building connected to this seven-story building, which eventually collapsed unexpectedly,” Gandhi said.
India Today reported that the building was constructed illegally on a 50 square yard plot next to a drain. The sudden collapse of the building caused damage to the neighboring apartment building.
The identities of the deceased have been confirmed as Mahtab and Umesh, who were reportedly working at the site when the incident occurred.
In India, many people reside in unauthorized or old houses, which puts them at a high risk of their homes collapsing, especially during the prolonged rainy season and monsoon period.