Narrow escape for over 50 residents

As many as 50 residents of a ground plus five-storeyed residential building had a narrow escape when the building suddenly tilted and leaned to the adjacent building after the ground floor developed cracks in Ashwath Nagar, Marathalli, on Thursday night.

The police along with fire and emergency services personnel rushed to the spot and evacuated the residents of the adjacent building before cordoning the entire surrounding.

The HAL police later arrested the building owner Shivaprasad (35) and Venkateshappa, the contractor, charging them under IPC section 336 — act endangering life or personal safety of others.

According to Manoj, an eyewitness who called the fire and emergency services, the ground plus five floors building structure was built in a span of two years in 20 X 30 site. The building had 10 to 15 smaller houses, which bachelors and small families rented.

A woman neighbour heard cracking sounds at the building’s basement and alerted its occupants. Fortunately, the occupants, over 50 of them, including a few families, rushed down the building and moved to safety, Manoj said.

The fire and emergency services along with the police arrived and cordoned the area after evacuating the adjacent building. Tension prevailed in the areas as hundreds of people gathered near the site. The police had a tough time controlling the crowd.