In a two-hour dawn rescue on Tuesday, the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services rescued 26 people, including 2 children and 10 elderly people, from a dilapidated building after an entire staircase collapsed.
The incident took place at Madhuram Apartment’s G-block in the Vejalpur area. The staircase crashed from the third floor to the ground floor at around 4.45 am, leaving all the residents stranded and fearing for their lives.
20 people were rescued from the front side and 6 people from the back of the 30-year-old building, said Divisional Officer (DO) Inayat Shaikh, who was leading the operation. Reportedly, firefighters also helped residents pack clothes and valuables before leaving because the building could collapse at any time.
Meanwhile, the estate department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) sealed the building and cut the power and gas connections, declaring the building unsafe for occupation.
No injuries were reported as none of the residents fell down the stairwell, according to fire officials, though even landings in front of flat doors had collapsed.
A 65-year-old woman had to be brought down in a rescue basket because she had been through leg surgery.
Click here to join The Indian Express on WhatsApp and get latest news and updates
