Surat building collapse: Death toll rises to seven; many remain trapped in rubble

The death toll from the six-storey building that collapsed in India's Surat has risen to seven as of Sunday (Jul7) morning, according to police reports.

In a statement to the press, Rajesh Parmar, Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 6), said, "One woman has been saved."

The23-year-old woman has been identified as Kashish Sharma. Following her rescue,she was transported toNew Civil Hospital and wasin stable condition.

"Seven dead bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem to the hospital," he added.

Many others are feared trapped in the collapsed building's rubble. However, the exact number of trapped individuals remains unknown, said Parmar.

Battle against time: Rescue operations

Rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been working tirelessly through the night and are pushing through in their efforts to locate survivors.

How did the building collapse?

The building in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, was in a dilapidated state. Located in the Sachin area of Surat, the building, as per reports, housed several textile workers and their families.

On Saturday (Jul 6) afternoon, around 3 pm (local time), the building at D N Nagar society in Paligam collapsed, said the police.

Victims of the tragedy

As per authorities, the first body recovered from the site was of a man approximately 25 years old. Details of the other victims are awaited. Most of the residents of the building were labourers.

According to Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Gehlot, only about five out of the building's 30 flats were occupied. The residents were primarily labourers working in factories at Sachin GIDC, living there on rent.

"The information we have so far is from the other residents in the locality. Since it was a ground-plus five-storey building, it was a sandwich-like collapse. Rescue teams including the NDRF and local fire department are removing the rubble," Gehlot told news agency ANI on Sunday morning.

In conversation with The Indian Express, local MLA Sandeep Desai said that the labourers were originally from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Quoting sources, the publication reports that the building is owned by Jay Desai, a resident of Sachin, currently on a tour in the US.

(With inputs from agencies)