Two labourers were killed when an under-construction four-storied building collapsed in Narayanguda area of Hyderabad on Friday afternoon.
As the building, which is located next to the Brilliant Grammar High School, came crashing down, ten labourers got stuck under its debris.
The police, fire brigade and municipal corporation's emergency squad, along with the help of the local people, managed to rescue two labourers.
Two others, including a woman, died in the collapse.
Hyderabad police commissioner A K Khan told the media that additional floors were probably being constructed on an old existing structure. "It is not clear whether the foundation was capable of withstanding the burden of additional floors and whether the required approvals were obtained," he said.
The rescue teams were using gas cutters, pressure cutters and other equipment to clear the debris to rescue the trapped people. According to locals, at least six more persons were trapped inside.
Initial reports had suggested that the school building had collapsed. As panicky parents rushed to the site, authorities tried to clam them down by assuring them that all the school children were safe.
The school management had sent out the children as a precautionary measure minutes before the collapse. The Brilliant School building also developed cracks under the impact of the collapse.
Municipal Administration Minister A Ramanarayana Reddy has ordered a probe into the causes behind the collapse. Hyderabad District Collector Naveen Mittal said that the government will take stringent action against those responsible for the collapse.
Ministers D Nagendar and M Mukesh, Member of Parliament Anjan Kumar Yadav and Mayor Kartika Reddy rushed to the scene to supervise the rescue and relief measures.
The incident occurred next to a busy flyover and thousands of people gathered at the site. Traffic came to a grinding halt in Narayanguda and adjoining areas.
The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased labourers. Minister R Venkat Reddy announced that the government will bear the expenses of the treatment of all the injured victims.
