HYDERABAD: The body of a second worker was recovered from the rubble of a collapsed under-construction building in Bhadrachalam town on Friday afternoon. Rescue teams retrieved the body of POP Upendra Rao around 2:30 p.m., nearly 24 hours after the first victim, Kameshwar Rao, was pulled out from the debris.
Upendra Rao’s body was sent to the Government Area Hospital for postmortem, following which the rescue operation concluded. The six-storey building in Bhadradri Kothagudem district had collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, trapping two construction workers beneath the debris.
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Fire Services Department, and local police participated in the rescue operation. Kameshwar Rao had been recovered on Thursday around 2:30 p.m. and was shifted to the hospital, where he succumbed to injuries during treatment.
The building, located at Super Bazaar Centre, reportedly collapsed due to structural defects. District Collector Jitesh V. Patil, Superintendent of Police B. Rohith Raju, and other senior officers supervised the rescue efforts.
The structure was being built by M. Srinivas, who also manages a trust. He had constructed a temple on the ground floor and was building five additional floors. The collapse occurred while two workers were working on the ground floor.
Eyewitnesses said they heard screams from under the rubble shortly after the collapse. Srinivas, who has become a priest, allegedly began construction nearly two years ago without proper permits. He is believed to have obtained permission for two floors but had begun slab work for five floors.
Local residents stated that despite multiple complaints and objections over lack of proper structural support on the ground floor, no action was taken by the authorities. Police have registered a case against builder M. Srinivas and arrested him.
