Building collapse in Lucknow claims 8 lives, injures 28

At least eight people died and 28 others were injured after a three-story building collapsed in Lucknow on the evening of Sep 7.

Three more bodies were pulled out from the debris on the morning of Sep 8, taking the total death toll to eight, officials said.

The building housed godowns and a motor workshop in the Transport Nagar area of Lucknow.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered the bodies of three people, who were identified as Raj Kishore (27), Rudra Yadav (24) and Jagrup Singh (35), during the rescue operation, Relief Commissioner G S Naveen said, reported news agency PTI.

The rescue operation is still underway focusing on ensuring that no one else is trapped under the rubble, a senior district administration official said.

According to the police, the building—constructed around four years ago — was undergoing some construction work. The victims were mainly those who were working on the ground floor when the incident occurred at 4:45 pm on Sep 7.

The building, identified as the ‘Harmilap Building’, had a motor workshop and warehouse on the ground floor, a medical godown on the first floor and a cutlery warehouse on the second floor, the report said.

The injured have been taken to various hospitals, including Lok Bandhu Hospital in the district.

One of the injured, Akash Singh, who worked in the medical godown, said a building pillar had developed a crack.

"We had come down to the ground floor because it was raining. We noticed that a crack had developed on a pillar of the building. Suddenly, the entire building collapsed on us," he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed district officials to expedite relief efforts and ensure that those injured in the incident are immediately taken to the hospital and given appropriate medical care.

“UP CM Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the building collapse incident in Transport Nagar, Lucknow,” the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's office (CMO) wrote on X.

“The chief minister has directed the district administration officials, SDRF, and NDRF teams to reach the site and expedite the relief work, ensuring that the injured are immediately taken to the hospital for proper treatment.

He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured,” it said. The Defense Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh, also expressed his sorrow over the incident.

“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," Singh posted on microblogging site X.