Chennai building collapse: Toll rises to 42, another 25 still feared trapped

Chennai: The death toll in the collapse of an under-construction 11 storeyed building near suburban Porur climbed to 42 today, a senior state government official said. Of the 42 deceased persons, 28 were men and the rest women, Director of Public Health K Kulandaisamy said. [caption id=“attachment_1599179” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Rescue work at the site of the Chennai building collapse. Firstpost[/caption] A total of 69 persons had been pulled out dead or alive from under the debris of the collapsed structure by rescue personnel since Saturday when the mishap occurred, he said. Meanwhile, another official, who did not want to be named, said it was feared that another 20-25 persons could have been trapped under the debris, even as multi-agency rescue efforts including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were on in full swing. Relatives of the people trapped under the debris are praying for the safe rescue of their loved ones. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Public Works Department (PWD) has declared “unsafe” an adjacent 11-storey building - part of the same project. The residential project Trust Heights was being developed by Prime Sristi Housing Pvt. Ltd. The project comprised two 11-storey blocks - The Belief and The Faith. Most of the people trapped under the debris are said to be construction workers and some might have taken shelter in the building as it was raining at the time of the collapse, people in the area said. Giant steel rod cutters and other equipment have been pressed into service, while sniffer dogs and sophisticated cameras are at the accident site to locate trapped people. With inputs from PTI and IANS