7 hurt as three-storey building topples
It was built on a pond in Keraniganj without authorities’ approval
At least seven people were injured as a three-storey building, constructed on a pond without permission from the authorities, collapsed in Maddha Charail Playground area of Keraniganj yesterday.
Rahman, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Keraniganj, said the building came crashing down around 8:15am, trapping eight people inside.
Later, the members of Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot and rescued them around 9:30am, he added.
"Ideally, the building should have collapsed a long ago but it stood tall ghostly. Due to the weak soil underneath, the building collapsed," he said.
Meanwhile, the authorities vacated the surrounding five buildings which were constructed on or around the pond even without any foundation.
Utility connections, such as gas, electricity, and water, have been cut off from the buildings.
Kazi Mainul Islam, officer-in-charge of Keraniganj Police Station, said they conducted the evacuation to ensure safety to the residents of nearby buildings.
Talking to this correspondent, the owner of the collapsed building, Jane Alam, 47, said he first built a two-storey building on his ancestral land in 2000.
A few years back, he increased it by another floor.
He also admitted that the building was not built following any building codes.
About yesterday's collapse, Alam said he was talking to a chef around 8:15am outside the building when it collapsed on the pond.
"It happened in just 15 seconds," Alam said, adding that four of his family members were injured in the incident.
Golam Rabbi, a second-year student of Dhaka College and also a nephew to Alam, said he came to the house to attend a feast yesterday, and then this happened.
The incidents of building collapse and fire are occasionally reported in Bangladesh because of poor planning and the use of substandard materials.
Experts attribute the frequent building collapses to faulty design, poor construction workmanship, product failure or lack of following building codes, and regulatory requirements.
Meanwhile, Keraniganj upazila administration formed a seven-member probe body in this connection.
The committee was asked to submit its report in seven working days.