The death toll in the collapse of an under-construction 11 storey building near suburban Porur rose to 17 even a woman was pulled out alive with head injuries Monday morning.
The death toll stood at 17 today, DIG (South), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), SP Selvan, told PTI.
He said rescue operations were on in full swing though there were intermittent rains.
Meanwhile, a woman was pulled out alive on Monday morning from under the debris of the collapsed structure.
Meenammal of Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh was admitted to Sri Ramachandra Medical University with a head injury, hospital spokesperson TG Nallamuthu said.
The building had collapsed on Saturday evening, with about 50 people feared trapped inside. Six persons, including two owners and two engineers, had been arrested under various sections of the IPC.
Around 40 are still feared trapped under the debris and hundreds of personnel are engaged in clearing the rubble as part of the rescue effort.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of Telugu workers who were killed in a building collapse in Chennai.
Many of victims of the tragedy are said to be natives of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday enhanced the relief announced to the victims belonging to the state killed in a building collapse near suburban Porur.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said the Andhra Pradesh government had announced a sum of Rs 5 lakh as relief to next of the kin of the victims of that state killed in the mishap.
“Four of the victims in this unfortunate incident belong to Tamil Nadu. Besides the Rs 2 lakh announced earlier to their families, another Rs 5 lakh will be given from the Chief Minister’s General Relief Fund taking the total to Rs 7 lakh,” she said in a statement.
Image: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with an injured victim of building collapse at a hospital in Chennai. Photograph: PTI Photo
