At least 15 labourers are feared trapped after a portion of an under-construction commercial building collapsed in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district on Wednesday night, triggering a major search-and-rescue operation.
The incident occurred around 9:15 pm in the Kudasan area, when workers were reportedly engaged in construction at the site. A slab on the third floor suddenly gave way, causing part of the structure to collapse and burying workers under the debris.
Fire brigade teams, local residents and emergency personnel rushed to the site after receiving information about the collapse.
Eight Workers Rescued
Local residents were among the first to reach the site and managed to pull four labourers out of the rubble before fire brigade personnel arrived.
Rescue teams subsequently rescued another four workers, taking the total number of people brought out from the debris to eight, according to officials.
The rescued workers were shifted to Gandhinagar Civil Hospital for medical treatment.
Hospital officials said eight patients had been brought to the facility through EMRI ambulances from the collapse site at around 10 pm. Two or three other injured people were reportedly taken to the hospital in private vehicles.
Rescue Teams Cut Through Collapsed Slab
Fire brigade personnel launched an extensive search operation after officials received information that several more workers could still be beneath the debris.
Rescuers began cutting through sections of the collapsed slab and removing construction material to reach the suspected trapped workers.
Gandhinagar Chief Fire Officer Rajesh Patel said rescuers feared that around 15 labourers could still be buried beneath the rubble.
The figure remains provisional as rescue teams continue searching the collapsed portion of the building.
Incident at Bosky The Empire
According to fire department officials, the affected commercial complex is known as Bosky The Empire and had been constructed up to the third floor.
Workers were present at the construction site when the third-floor slab reportedly collapsed.
The sudden failure brought down a portion of the structure, creating a large debris field and complicating efforts to locate those who may have been trapped underneath.
Officials have not yet established the cause of the structural failure.
Injured Workers Being Treated
Senior officials at Gandhinagar Civil Hospital said the patients admitted after the incident were not in serious condition at the time of the initial assessment.
The injured workers were being treated for their injuries while doctors prioritised stabilising them.
Hospital authorities also said they had received information that additional people could still be at the collapse site. Further details were expected to emerge as the rescue operation progressed.
Rescue Operation Continues
Fire brigade personnel and other emergency responders remained engaged in the operation late Wednesday night, carefully removing debris while searching for signs of trapped workers.
The priority was to reach anyone still underneath the collapsed slab while avoiding further movement of the unstable structure.
The incident has once again highlighted the risks faced by workers at under-construction sites, particularly when large concrete slabs and unfinished structures are involved.
For now, authorities are focused on the rescue effort, and the final number of people affected will become clearer once the search operation is completed.
