One hurt in house collapse; more buildings threatened in Ahmedabad

The heavy rains have been welcomed by most people but not by residents of very old houses in Ahmedabad. According to fire department officials, around 20 houses in the city have collapsed so far, leaving at least five dead and nearly 15 injured.

The latest house collapse occurred in Shahpur area of the city early on Tuesday morning. One Rajendra Bhavsar, his wife Dipti, daughter Roshni and son Mihir were asleep in their rented two-storied residence in the area when the roof of the house cracked and collapsed. Fortunately, apart from Dipti who suffered minor injuries, the others escaped unhurt. The house belongs to one Sarifa Begum.

Fire department officials reached the spot in time and rescued the family from the rubble. They sent Dipti to the hospital to be treated her injuries.

In another incident, a 25-ft high tree collapsed on the house of one Manu Rabari, near Astodia Darwaja in Khadia police station area following heavy rains. However, no major damages have been reported.

According to Rajesh Bhatt, additional chief fire officer, people aren't making adequate efforts to maintain their houses, despite the fact that some old ones may collapse any time now, due to heavy showers. The fire department fears more incidents of house collapse may occur, given the intensity of the monsoon at the moment.

A survey by civic authorities says that there are more than 200 'risky' houses in the walled city area. Besides these, there have been hundreds of complaints by locals, pointing to buildings that may collapse any day.