Two persons were killed while six others suffered injuries after two-storey Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) building at Theog bus stand in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh collapsed on Friday afternoon.
Police said the incident took place at around 12 noon and the building collapsed at Theog bus stand due to heavy rains.
“Eight persons were rescued from the spot and they were rushed to hospital for medical treatment where two of them was declared brought dead,” Police said, adding that one of the deceased has been identified as Roshan Lal, a ticket booking clerk at bus stand.
The injured were being treated at Civil Hospital, Theog from where five persons, whose condition is said to be critical, were rushed to IGMC Shimla.
There are reports that 5 to 6 persons are still trapped in the debris of the building. “National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has been called from Sunni to assist the police, home guards in rescue operations. The teams are carrying out rescue operation at the spot as more persons are feared to be trapped in the debris,” Soumya Sambasivan, Superintendent of Police, Shimla told The Statesman.
The exact number of injured and deceased could be confirmed after the rescue operation is over, she added.
Officials in the Transport department said the process was on to declare the building as unsafe due its dilapidated condition. However, sources said there were demand to raze the building due to its dilapidated condition since the last three years but no action was taken so far on the same.
A case has been registered in this regard and further investigations to find out the exact cause are on. A SDM level inquiry has also been ordered into the incident.
Meanwhile, state Transport minister GS Bali rushed to the spot after he came to know about the accident and he announced that the Transport department would bear the expenses for treatment of the injured.
The district administration has announced an immediate relief of Rs 25,000 to the kin of deceased and Rs.5,000 to the injured.