Two houses collapse in Varanasi; one dead and eight rescued

Varanasi: Two houses collapsed near the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi on Tuesday at 3 a.m., killing one woman and leaving nine others trapped in the debris.
Kaushal Raj Sharma, Commissioner of Varanasi Division, said that two houses had collapsed, and there were a total of 11 to 12 people. He further added that two people came out on their own and eight others had to be rescued.
"Two houses collapsed here, in which nine people were trapped. Two of them came out on their own and eight others were rescued. One woman has lost her life and one woman constable was injured and has been referred to the trauma centre; the remaining are under treatment," he said.
Further, he added that the rescue operations are over and the cleaning of the debris is being carried out.
"The rescue operation is almost over. Our next priority is to clean up the debris and restore the supply of water and electricity in the houses. We will also be dismantling the gate to clear the debris. The walls of this flat were built together and multiple houses were built on the support of one wall, which resulted in the collapse of the two houses together. The second and third floors of the house collapsed and the people on the other floor were trapped," Sharma added.
Mohit Agarwal, Police Commissioner (PC), Varanasi, said that all the forces, including State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police and fire personnel, had arrived at the spot immediately after the collapse occurred.
"Our rescue forces from SDRF, the local police and the fire personnel arrived at the spot immediately after the collapse occurred and all eight people were rescued. One woman who was admitted to the Kabir Chaura hospital has been declared dead," he said.
Agarwal further added that dog squads will be on the spot to check if there is any other individual under the debris.
"Our dog squads will be here soon to check if any other individual is under the debris. Our priority is to carry out the rescue operations properly and help the injured people," he added.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), MK Sharma, said that the collapse most likely would have occurred due to the old structure of the buildings.
"We have rescued eight people and sent them to a hospital. The rescue operation had been underway for the last four hours. As of now, we have understood that the reason for the collapse could be the old structure of the houses," he said.