Goa building collapse: 15 killed, many feared trapped; builder and contractor missing

Panaji: At least 15 people have died and many are still feared trapped under the debris of an under-construction building that collapsed in Goa around 3 pm on Saturday. An FIR has been registered against the builder and the contractor, who the police say have gone missing.

According to the police, a portion of the three-storey building, Ruby Residency, located in the Chawdi ward of Canacona town, 60 kilometres from state capital Panaji, collapsed while nearly 60 workers were working there. 26 people have been rescued so far. Army personnel and fire officials carried out rescue operations through the night to look for more survivors.

The construction was reportedly being carried out by a Navi Mumbai-based real estate development firm, Bharat Developers and Realtors Pvt. Ltd. The Goa Police has launched a search operation to nab the builder and the contractor.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was visiting a place near Canacona yesterday to attend a folklore festival, rushed to the site soon after the collapse. "We will not spare anyone who is found guilty of negligence," he said.

"It was like an earthquake when the building fell," an eye-witness at the site told reporters yesterday. "You could not see what exactly had happened because of the dust," he added.

Sources say marshy land around the site of collapse is proving to be a hindrance for rescuers.