Neighbours evacuate to escape noise & dust of apartment debris

People living next to the under-construction apartment in Bellandur, which collapsed on Wednesday, have left their homes to live elsewhere as they couldn’t bear the noise of drilling machines and the clouds of dust.

Following the building collapse which killed five people, earthmovers and drilling machines were put to use to clear the debris and look for those trapped.

Residents of adjacent apartments couldn’t bare to live amidst the ear-shattering noise and the dust. On Thursday evening, they locked up to live with their relatives or friends elsewhere. Susheela Shastry was one of them.

“The rescue operation started on Wednesday and will go into Friday morning. It is suffocating here. Families with young children were suggested to move to other places for a few days until the debris is cleared and the dust is settled,” she said.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said, “We have learnt that the land on which the building was being constructed was actually the play area of an adjacent apartment. The BBMP should investigate and take necessary action. Even the construction work was poor as the pillars were not plastered.”

As many as 37 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are involved in the rescue operation, apart from 30 men from the Fire and Emergency Services Department, said a senior officer in the department.

Efforts on
“We still have no clue if anyone is trapped inside. Efforts are being made to trace the missing people. The operation will continue until the debris is cleared,” C Basavanna, Chief Fire Officer, said. He hoped that the debris would be cleared by Friday evening.

Sniffer dogs looked for those trapped inside, but didn’t find anyone. The NDRF is using victim and sound identification cameras to look for the trapped people. Six such cameras have been placed at different points at the site.

“These cameras detect sound and movements, including breathing, of a person. They are specialised cameras which are used during disaster response. We placed the cameras at different places and are looking for any movement. But we are yet to find anything,” said Pradeep, an NDRF man.
DH News Service