Owner arrested over Delhi building collapse

Wed, 17 Nov 2010

New Delhi - The owner of a building that collapsed in the Indian capital killing 67 people has been arrested, police said.

Amritpal Singh, who fled after the incident on Monday, was taken into custody late Tuesday and a case of culpable homicide registered against him, joint commissioner of police Dharmendra Singh said. He was to appear in court Wednesday.

The five-storey building in Delhi's Laxmi Nagar area was reportedly constructed without the required permits and had foundations sufficient for only three floors.

Civic officials said waterlogging of the foundations may have led to the collapse. The building is located on the floodplain of the Yamuna river.

It was not clear how many people were still trapped among the cement slabs and bricks, fire department officials said.

Rescue workers would have to remove every bit of debris to make sure no one was trapped in the basement, Delhi fire services director RC Sharma said.

Most of the victims were poor migrant workers from the eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal.

At least 80 people were still in hospitals in Delhi.

Three buildings in the area with water seepage in their foundations have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, IANS news agency reported.

The residents have been put up in makeshift camps by the roadside.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353896,arrested-delhi-building-collapse.html.