Bangalore: 7 killed, 14 injured in building collapse

At least 7 people were killed and 14 others injured when a building collapsed in Bangalore late on Tuesday night.

The collapse was triggered after a large number of people gathered at a flat in the fourth  floor of the building for a function.

Eye witnesses said that the balcony on the fourth floor came crashing down during the function, killing the people who were standing on the balcony.

The building, which falls under the purview of the Bangalore City Corporation (Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike), is located on Sweepers Sweet, Bharatinagar in the Cantonment area.

All the injured people have been shifted to the Bowring Hospital in the city. However, ugly scenes were witnessed at the hospital as some relatives of the victims alleged that the doctors were delaying treatment. It was also alleged that there were no senior doctors on duty at the hospital. The situation was brought under control after the visit of local MLA Roshan Baig.

The Corporation tried to shift the blame on to the contractor of the building. The contractor, Ramaiah, had not handed over possession of the building to the Corporation after it was constructed. Instead, he had rented out the apartments illegally, according to the Corporation.

Civic officials, who rushed to the spot after the incident, said they will have to hold talks with senior officials before announcing compensation.

This is the third building collapse in the city this year. The first one occurred when a portion of a two storied building collapsed near Koramangala on July 26. A-two-year-old child was killed in the incident. The second incident claimed two lives after a building near the NIMHANS complex collapsed on November 22.