Six soldiers and a civilian were killed and 35 rescued aftera four-storey building collapsed due to rain at Kumarhatti town of HimachalPradesh, rescuers said on Monday.
It is believed that six-eight people are still tapped in thedebris.
While 23 soldiers and 12 civilians were pulled out from therubbles, the rescue operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF),the Army and the state police has been on for over 16 hours.
The dead included building owner’s wife Archana.
According to officials, the incident took place on Sundaywhen soldiers, belonging to the Assam Rifles of nearby Dagshai Cantonment, werehaving their party at a roadside eatery-cum-residential complex which caved indue to heavy rain.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who is monitoring theoperation from here, said soldiers and civilians were present in the building,located on the Kumarhatti-Nahan road, around 55 kms from Shimla.
Thakur, who has ordered a probe into the incident, isvisiting the spot later in the day.
Deputy Commissioner K.C. Chaman said measures to rescuepeople trapped in the debris were on. The injured have been admitted to nearbyhospitals.
Locals blamed unscientific construction methods andviolations in the granting of construction-sanction for the building collapse.