In a tragic incident, 2 persons, including a jawan of Assam Rifles, were killed while 21 including Indian Army personnel have been trapped inside the debris of a building in the Kumarhatti area of Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, around 80 km from here.
So far, 19 persons have been pulled out of the debris of the collapsed building by rescue teams. Police said the accident took place at around 4 pm when a multi-storeyed building that also houses a restaurant collapsed suddenly.
Though the exact number of the trapped is not known yet it is being estimated at 40. Most of the trapped persons are believed to be the personnel of the Indian Army.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the Army personnel belonged to Assam Rifles and they were stationed at Dagshai Cantonment area.
The Army jawans had come to the restaurant for a party in Sehaj Tandoori Dhaba when the building collapsed, reportedly owing to heavy monsoon rains.
Thakur said the reason behind the collapse of the building is not known yet but it is believed that heavy rains might have eroded the soil around the foundation of the building, resulting in collapse.
The injured were rushed to Dharampur Hospital where two persons, including a woman and an Army jawan, succumbed to their injuries.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the incident and said rescue teams including NDRF have been rushed to the spot.
He said 19 persons have been rescued from the debris of the building and all efforts are being made to pull out the remaining trapped persons.
“We are confident of completing the rescue work tonight as NDRF teams from Panchkula and Himachal are engaged in rescue work,” Thakur added.
The teams of Solan and Sirmaur district administration, Sub Divisional Magistrate Solan along with relief teams were also at the spot to rescue the trapped persons.