15-year-old birthday girl, brother among three killed in pre-dawn Vizag building collapse

Durga Prasad was an intermediate student, while Anjali was in Class 10. Chottu was working in the city. Local residents said the building collapsed between 1:30 am and 2 am.

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Faulty construction led to collapse?

Preliminary reports suggested that faulty construction had led to the collapse of the 40-year-old structure. However, the actual reason would be ascertained only after a detailed probe.

It has been alleged that heavy machinery used to dig a borewell had caused tremors in the neighbourhood. The building was home to two bachelors from Bihar and two families.

Neighbours said they heard a loud sound and informed the authorities. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Fire and Rescue Department personnel had a tough time navigating the narrow lane leading to the scene of the tragedy.

“Preliminary assessment suggested that the building was constructed on a weak foundation without columns and pillars. We suspect that the digging of the borewell in the next compound might have led to the collapse,” a senior district official said.

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Probe ordered 

A local resident said they were surprised since the collapsed building had withstood the onslaught of the catastrophic cyclonic storm, Hudhud, in 2014.

“It’s an unfortunate incident. There were no proper columns and the incessant rains since the last week might have also led to the collapse,” Visakhapatnam Mayor Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari said.

“A probe has been ordered into the incident,” she said while lauding the efforts of the NDRF and SDRF. The Mayor said the Town Planning Department has been asked to identify old and weak buildings in the city.