Miracle rescue of four from rubble

Chennai: More than 72 hours after a 11-storey apartment complex under construction collapsed at Trust Heights, Mowlivakkam, five workers were rescued from the debris on Tuesday, but a woman among them died on way to hospital. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as only 58 of the over 70 people  at the site have been accounted for so far.

While 32 persons have been confirmed dead, 19 men and eight women were brought out alive and are undergoing treatment. Three of the dead have  still not been identified and their bodies have been kept at the Royapettah Government hospital. But 22 other bodies have been sent to their hometowns for cremation.

Participating in the rescue effort are thousands of personnel from the National Disaster Response Force,  the Tamil Nadu Fire Rescue Service, the state police department and several organizations. Meanwhile, families and relatives of the victims from Andhra who thronged the accident site were sent home.

“Over 300 people have  come all the way from Andhra to check on their family members,” said a Kancheepuram district official, revealing that a few others from Orissa too had arrived to inquire about their relatives who were at the site when the building came down. Joint collector of Nellore district, G. Rekha Rani said vehicles had been arranged to help the families of the dead  take the bodies to their hometowns in AP.