Building under construction collapses in northern India, killing 13 family members

LUCKNOW, India – A building under rushed construction in a northern Indian town collapsed overnight, killing 13 members of a family of weavers who were sleeping on the ground floor, police said Sunday.

Three people escaped unhurt when the partially built structure crashed down in the town of Mughalsarai, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) southeast of Uttar Pradesh’s state capital of Lucknow.

“People were buried alive” when the building came down, police Superintendent Chandauli Muniraj said.

Twelve people died at the scene, Muniraj said. Two others were taken to a hospital, but one died there.

Muniraj said the building was being constructed in a hurry. “Within a month, they built two stories,” he said. “We will investigate the cause of the collapse.”

Hundreds of people gathered to watch bulldozers digging into the broken bricks and debris in search for bodies on Sunday. The victims included the building’s owner, Mohammad Kamarrudin, and members of his family, including two children under 8 years old, Muniraj said.

Building collapses are common in India, where high housing demand and lax regulations have encouraged some builders to cut corners, use substandard materials or add unauthorized floors.