12 Killed in Faridpur Building Collapse

Staff Correspondent:

Faridpur, 12 March 2011

At least 12 people have been killed and six injured after an old three-storied apartment building collapsed in Neeltuli in Faridpur in the early hours yesterday.

The incident happened while people were sleeping in the building at around 1.00am.

Hanif, caretaker of the building, said he was having a chat with the night guard outside when the building collapsed. He said he heard loud noises and saw the building falling.

Firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the spot and pulled 12 bodies out of the rubble. They also rescued five survivors from the scene. Of the survivors, the injured were sent to Faridpur General Hospital.

The rescue workers are continuing to search for more survivors.

Experts visiting the spot suspect that structural faults might be the reason behind the building’s collapse.

Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the collapse. No arrest has been reported in this connection.

Building collapses are common in Bangladesh as constructions regulations are often ignored.