3-storey building partially collapses in Vadodara; no casualty

Vadodara: Portions of a three-storey residential building of the Gujarat Housing Board collapsed in Vadodara city, officials said on Monday.

Residents were evacuated in time, preventing any casualty in the incident which took place at around 11 pm on Sunday, they said.

Rescue operation was carried out for nearly four hours to ensure nobody was trapped inside the building, chief fire officer Manoj Patil said.

The incident occurred at the Suryakiran Building having six flats under Lakshmipura police station area, Additional Commissioner of Police Leena Patil said.

Nearly half of the three-storey building, including its ground, first and second floors, collapsed, she said.

Families residing on the first and second floors managed to escape in time, the official said.

"Renovation work was underway on the ground floor, which raised initial concerns that some labourers might have been inside at the time of the collapse. However, the contractor confirmed that the labourers had left before the collapse," she said.

Fire and police personnel carried out the rescue operation using bulldozers and nobody was found trapped in the rubble, officials said.

"The rescue operation lasted for nearly four hours, and nobody was hurt in the incident," Manoj Patil said.