(MENAFN- Gulf Times) At least seven people were killed yesterday when an apartment block collapsed in Bengaluru following a gas tank explosion, police said.
The two-storey building in the crowded Ejipura neighbourhood was reduced to rubble after the cooking gas tank triggered a devastating blast.
'The victims were buried in the debris of the building, a police official said, adding the explosion occurred in the kitchen of a ground floor flat.
'A search is underway to find survivors, if any, at the site of the accident.
Rescue workers managed to pull a three-year-old alive from the ruins and were frantically searching for others believed trapped beneath tonnes of concrete.
A government inquiry has been ordered into the accident.
Two of the victims were women. One of them was pregnant, the police said.
Bengaluru Urban Development Minister K J George, who visited the scene of the tragedy, told reporters that Rs500,000 would be paid to the families of each dead.
'We will give Rs50,000 each to the injured, he said. 'We are looking into the reasons behind the blast.
Karnataka Home Minister R Ramalinga Reddy also visited the site and said: 'The building is at least 15 to 20 years old. People living in the building were asleep when the incident took place.
Earlier reports said the building may have collapsed after Bengaluru saw heavy rains on the weekend.
Building and wall collapses occur more frequently in India during the heavy rains of the monsoon season.
At least 34 people were killed in a building collapse in Mumbai following torrential rains last month.
Building disasters are common in Indian cities where millions are forced to live in cramped, dilapidated properties because of spiralling real estate prices and a lack of housing for the poor.
Activists say housing societies, private owners and builders often cut corners to save on costs.
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