12 killed in twin building collapse in western India

At least 12 people, including women and children, are confirmed dead in the twin building collapse in the western Indian state of Gujarat in the wee hours of Wednesday, a senior police official said. "We have pulled out 12 bodies so far from under the debris of the first building which collapsed at 4.30 a.m. (local time) at Vadodara city in Gujarat and rescued many people alive. The second building was vacant. But, efforts are still on to rescue more than 10 people still feared trapped inside," he said, on condition of anonymity. Some injured people pulled out of the debris have been admitted to local hospitals where the condition of a couple of them are said to be serious, the official said. Both the three-storey buildings in Madhavnagar area were part of a huge housing complex built some 35 years ago by state-owned Vadodara Urban Development Authority and were in a precarious condition. The second building was vacated just weeks back by residents for renovation work, civic officials said. Local TV channels beamed footage of rescuers, including Indian Army personnel, trying to pull out survivors from under the debris. Senior officials have been overseeing the rescue work, the official said, adding that a probe has been ordered into the incident. State Chief Minister Narendra Modi has announced a compensation of two lakh rupees (4,000 U.S. dollars) each to the families of those killed. "Heard about the collapse of 2 buildings in Vadodara. Rescue operations have begun. My minister colleague Nitinbhai is on his way there," he tweeted this morning. Building collapses are common in India often because of poor construction practices. Some 75 people were killed in one such collapse in Mumbai in April this year.