Building collapse kills 10 in central India

NEW DELHI, India – Ten people have died after a car crashed into a dilapidated building in central India and brought down the near century-old structure, burying them beneath rubble, police said Sunday, April 1.

The freak accident in Indore on Saturday evening, March 31, is the latest building disaster in a country infamous for poor construction and safety standards.

The driver lost control of his vehicle and struck a pillar holding up the near 100-year-old structure, said police deputy inspector general Harinarayanchari Mishra.

“The impact was such that the entire building collapsed,” he told AFP.

“Rescue workers pulled out 12 people from the rubble, 10 of them were already dead. The other two are being treated in hospital.”

Images from the scene showed battered and bloodied corpses being pulled from twisted piles of brick and concrete. The rubble was being cleared with cranes and industrial equipment.

Building disasters are common in Indian cities where millions are forced to live in cramped, run-down properties due to spiraling real estate prices and a lack of proper housing. (READ: Building collapse in south India kills 8)

Activists say owners often cut corners on construction to save costs with little regard to safety.

Some 30 people perished in September last year when a 117-year-old apartment building collapsed in India’s financial hub of Mumbai.

And in 2013, 60 people were killed when a residential block came crashing down in one of the country’s worst housing disasters. – Rappler.com