State revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy visited the spot of the building collapse and announced compensation of Rs1 lakh to the families of those killed.
In response to a plea from the district administration, a 102-strong contingent of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Pune, rushed to Bellary on Wednesday morning to help in relief and rescue operations at the site of the building collapse. Another group from the Madras Engineering Group and Centre in Bangalore is also assisting in the operations.
NDRF Assistant Commandant Vivek Bindra is supervising the rescue operations. Commandant Alok Awasthy of the NDRF told DNA that nine-year-old Yellappa was rescued from the rubble, and a dead body had been recovered. Some people were trapped in the basement of the building, and efforts to rescue them are continuing. Two sniffer dogs are also aiding in the search for survivors. The NDRF commandant said that the Air Force provided two AN-32 aircraft to fly the team to Bellary. The first aircraft, carrying 51 persons, took off from Pune at 8.15 am, and the other, with another 51 people, took off at 8.55 am. They reached Bellary an hour and 20 minutes after taking off. The site of the disaster was 30 km from the Bellary airport, Awasthy said.
The NDRF has been formed under the Disaster Management Act 2005 to provide specialised response to natural and man-made disasters. Its battalions are located at eight different locations in the country. Each battalion has specialist search and rescue teams, including engineers, technicians, electricians, dog squads and paramedics.
Meanwhile, state revenue minister G Karunakara Reddy visited the spot of the building collapse and announced compensation of Rs1 lakh to the families of those killed.
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