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Tag: building collapse

  • Buildings Collapse In India After Heavy Rain, Dozens Killed

    The death toll in two separate building collapses in India reached 27, authorities reported on Monday. More victims who are trapped under rubble are still being rescued.

    On Monday, authorities also reported that the death toll in the city of Chennai is up to 19. Rescuers had a difficult time during the rescue operations due to the heavy rains. According to Chennai Police Commissioner Sebastian George, “50 workers were believed to be present at the construction site at the time of the collapse. Rescue operations are still on.”

    The police arrested six people who were said to have a connection with the collapse of the Trust Heights building. Those who were arrested were employees of Prime Sristi Housing Private Housing Ltd, the developer of the building. Well over a hundred employees of Prime Sristi Housing have also been charged for various violations including culpable homicide (not amounting to murder).

    In a separate incident in New Delhi, a crumbling building collapsed on Saturday. Reports indicate that the building was illegally constructed years ago. The collapse may have been caused by the construction work that was happening on an adjacent building.

    According to officials, building collapses are not uncommon in India. They have seen dilapidated and poorly-constructed buildings end many lives over the past years.

    Based on a report by an official from the New Delhi Municipal Council, many of these types of accidents happen because of unauthorized constructions. People tend to build structures or extra floors without securing the right permits.

    Another leading cause of these incidents is corruption, as many officials authorize risky construction projects. In addition, poor quality materials are often used for the buildings.

    In January, there were at least 15 people who were killed when a residential building that was under construction collapsed in Goa. Late last year, there was also an old building that collapsed in Mumbai. In April 2013, a building collapse happened in a suburb of Mumbai were at least 72 people died.

    Image via YouTube

  • East Harlem Building Collapse: 2 Dead, Many Injured

    At 9:31 am EST, New York City firefighters responded to an explosion and building collapse at 1644-46 Park Avenue in East Harlem. Thus far, two people been reported dead, with at least 16 more suffering from injuries.

    Prior to the explosion, Con Edison, a New York City utility service, had received a call from a resident at 1652 Park Avenue complaining of a gas smell in her apartment. That call came 18 minutes before the two buildings collapsed.

    The five-story buildings held a church and a piano repair shop on the ground levels and hosted 12 total apartments.

    Jennifer Salas, a 20-year-old resident of the apartment, saw warning signs as early as yesterday: “Last night it smelled like gas but then the smell vanished and we all went to sleep. We tried to find the source of the gas but since the smell left, we all went to sleep.” Salas’s husband is currently still missing.

    As it currently stands, the 150+ firefighters who responded from 39 different units are still working to extinguish the flames and excavate the destruction to look for residents and patrons.

    Residents of East Harlem who witnessed the collapse were shocked at the impact of the explosion: “I saw a lady running with no shoes on. It was crazy. It was like a war zone. … I thought it was an earthquake. I got calls from my family who felt it too and that was all the way up town,” reported one witness.

    “It was loud, like boom, boom! It rocked the whole block. A window blew out of the other shop down the street. It looked like the towers all over again. People covered in dust and covering their mouths,” added Mitch Abreu, an employee at a nearby barbershop.

    The two buildings which collapsed have been plagued by many infrastructure issues over the years. Last summer, the building at 1644 Park Avenue was scheduled to have a 120 foot piece of gas pipe installed to a fifth floor stove. Officials at New York heating could not confirm if that work had been completed.

    The other building at 1646 Park Avenue was cited several years ago for having a vertical crack in the rear wall “which is hazardous to the safety of the structure.” The owner of the building at the time of the citation paid the $1,335 fine, but there are no records to indicate that the structure of the building was ever repaired.

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