Lucknow, Sep 8 (IANS): At least six people have died so far after a building collapsed in Lucknow's Transport Nagar area on Saturday evening, District Magistrate (DM) Suryapal Gangwar confirmed.

"Earlier, 28 people were evacuated. Now two more people have been evacuated in the rescue operation. The death toll in the incident has gone up to six. A rescue operation is going on," said DM Gangwar.

As per a primary report, Harmilap building, which is said to be three-storey, was 15 years old and was used for wholesale pharma trading.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the building collapse incident and instructed officials to hasten the relief efforts.

He has also asked officials to promptly transport the injured to the hospital for proper treatment.

CM Yogi Adityanath has also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.

"Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident of collapse of building in Transport Nagar, Lucknow. The Chief Minister has instructed the district administration officials, SDRF and NDRF teams to reach the spot and expedite the relief work and immediately take the injured to the hospital for proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured," said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's Office on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh, on Saturday expressed sadness over the death in the Lucknow building collapse incident.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh said, "The news of the collapse of a building in Lucknow is extremely painful. I have spoken to the District Magistrate of Lucknow over the phone and got information about the situation at the spot. The local administration is carrying out relief and rescue operations on the spot and is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way."

Earlier, Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Mangesh Kumar said that many people are still feared trapped in the collapsed building.

"More people are said to be trapped... The exact number of the trapped people is yet to be ascertained," Kumar added.

Utttar Pradesh Relief Commissioner Naveen Kumar confirmed the death of five persons including the son of the building owner.

According to Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash, 24 persons were rescued so far and they are admitted at different hospitals for treatment with a few having sustained grievous injuries.

As per the police sources, at least 35 to 40 individuals were present in the complex when it collapsed on Saturday evening after a period of intense rainfall that caused waterlogging in the surrounding area.

Rescue operations to evacuate the trapped people are underway.

The Fire Department, SDRF and NDRF teams are at the spot.