One dead, eight injured in building collapse

The injured, dead pulled out from debris.

MULTAN: A woman died and eight people suffered injuries as a three-storey building collapsed in Choori Bazaar area on Friday.

Two women and two children with serious injuries were taken to Nishter Hospital. Doctors who treated them said they had suffered broken bones.

The deceased woman was identified as 30-year-old Noureen Kamal. She had lived in the third storey of the building. All others present in the building at the time of the accident were rescued in an operation that lasted for over four hours. Some neigbhours said the number of casualties could have been higher had the building collapsed on a working day.

They said the ground floor had been used as a tuition centre where attendance on week days averaged between 60 and 70 people. On Friday, the tuition centre was closed on Friday on account the of Pakistan Day holiday. The building is located in the Old City area where several worn out structures need immediate repair.

Provincial Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs Ahsanud Din Qureshi has announced Rs200,000 for the family of the deceased woman, Rs100,000 for the owner of the building and Rs25,000 each for those injured in the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2012.