Surat building collapse toll rises to 7

Surat, July 7

The death toll in the collapse of a six-storey building in Gujarat’s Surat city has gone up to seven with the recovery of six more bodies overnight, the police said on Sunday.

A person who collected rent from the building occupants has been arrested and he and two owners of the structure have been booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, they said.

The residential building, which was in a dilapidated condition and located in the Pal area, collapsed at around 2.45 pm on Saturday, according to the police.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police personnel and fire brigade were involved in the rescue operation, the Surat police said in a statement.