11 killed in Hyderabad building collapse (Third Lead)

HYDERABAD - Eleven construction workers were killed and four injured as a building under construction collapsed here Friday, police said.

Rescue workers retrieved 11 bodies and pulled out four workers alive from the debris of the three-storeyed building in the busy Narayanaguda area in the city centre.

The work to remove the debris was continuing six hours after the accident took place.

Rescue workers took the injured to a private hospital. The condition of one of them is stated to be critical.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters that some more people could be trapped in the debris.

The fire services department and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) pressed their men and machinery into service to remove the debris. Gas cutters were also being used to cut the huge slabs.

Police said students of an adjacent private school were safe. The building of Brilliant Grammar School suffered some damage but police immediately shifted all the students to safety.

A three-year-old girl is also among those killed. The victims were daily wage labourers hailing from Mahabubnagar and Medak districts of the state.

Police said the building owner was constructing additional floors on the old building, which led to the accident.

The government has ordered a probe into the collapse and announced compensation of Rs.200,000 to the families of each of the deceased.

Labour Minister R. Venkata Reddy told reporters that action would be taken against the building owner.

GHMC suspended three officials for permitting the construction of additional floors on the old building. It also ordered closure of the school in view of the damage caused to the building.