Even as the death toll in the Dharwad building collapse rose to seven, there was concern over the fate of 12 college girls who are feared trapped under the debris.

Officials received information from Prakash Kudatarkar who runs a cyber café in the building that 12 girls from the north Karnataka region and his son Anup were feared trapped under the rubble.

As a rescue team led by NRDF launched a search, officials said they could hear some girls calling for help from the eastern side of the building.

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The team took almost four hours to remove the top layer of the concrete slab and had to clear two more layers of PoP and concrete before getting some access to the girls.

Deputy commissioner Deepa Cholan said rescuers provided the girls glucose and water through an opening in the morning after hearing their voices.

However, as time passed, there was concern as rescuers could no longer hear the girls. Prakash said the girls had come to his cyber café to apply for railway jobs online.