Meerut, Sep 15 (IANS): Three people were killed while six others feared trapped in the rubble after a three-storey building collapsed on Saturday, officials said.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are present at the spot and rescue operations are ongoing amid rain in the area.
According to District Magistrate Deepak Meena, eight people have been rescued, of whom three have died.
Speaking to reporters, Deepak Meena said, "Fourteen people were initially trapped in it, out of which three were rescued earlier. Five more have been rescued now, the rest are still trapped. NDRF and SDRF teams are there... three of those eight rescued people have lost their lives. Our priority is to rescue the remaining six people..."
At present, 11 districts in Uttar Pradesh are affected by floods. So far, 17 people have died due to floods, as per information by the office of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
As per the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's office in a post on X, "Relief money of Rs 4 lakh each has been provided to the families of the deceased. So far, relief money has been provided to 30 affected people in connection with the loss of 30 animals. 3,056 houses have been damaged. Relief assistance has been distributed in connection."
It further said that the incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. following which the emergency services were alerted.
The owner of the building has been identified as Nafo Alauddin. He ran a dairy from the building. Taking cognisance of the collapse, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath directed the officials to reach the spot and expedite the relief work.
He has also instructed the officials to provide proper treatment to the injured.
Meerut Division Commissioner Selva Kumari J, Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada, and City Superintendent of Police Ayush Vikram Singh are present at the spot. People from the neighbourhood are also helping in the rescue efforts.