Three members of family killed in Gujarat building collapse

Five people were also rescued from the collapse site by the locals. Pic/PTI

A 65-year-old woman and her two granddaughters died after a three-story building collapsed at Gagwani Fali locality in Jam Khambhalia town in Gujarat's Devbhumi Dwarka district on Tuesday evening amid heavy rainfall in the Saurashtra region.

The bodies of the three victims - Kesharben Kanjaria, Pritiben Kanjaria (15), and Payalben Kanjaria (18) - were brought out of the debris by midnight after a six-hour-long rescue operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and the fire department teams, PTI reported. The police on Wednesday said that the bodies have been sent to a government hospital for post-mortem. Five people were also rescued from the collapse site by the locals.

Earlier in the day, NDRF Inspector (Vadodara) Bipin Kumar told PTI, "The NDRF team immediately reached the spot after receiving the information of a three-story building collapse. Two to three people are feared to be trapped under the rubble. A rescue operation is underway."

According to the police, the building was dilapidated and collapsed as a result of heavy rains that continued to batter the region. Saurashtra and south Gujarat districts continued to receive heavy rainfall, inundating low-lying areas as dams overflowed and rivers crossed their danger marks, officials said.

In the 24 hours ending at 6 am on Wednesday, the Umarpada taluka in Surat district received 276 mm rainfall. Heavy rainfall also battered Navsari, Junagadh, Devbhumi Dwarka, Kutch, Dangs, and Tapi districts.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that heavy rains in Gujarat's Porbandar district have caused waterlogging in several areas. Porbandar District Collector KD Lakhani said that there have been no casualties owing to the incessant rainfall in the districts.

The administration of the affected districts issued an advisory, cautioning locals against stepping out unless necessary. They were also warned against crossing overflowing causeways.

Meanwhile, the Navsari collector has directed the educational institutes in the district to remain closed on Wednesday due to heavy rainfall.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gujarat is likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall for the next two days. It further informed that isolated extremely heavy rainfall is also likely to continue in Konkan, Goa, and Madhya Maharashtra."

(With PTI inputs)