Hotel Collapses In Secunderabad

A wave of panic gripped the city today as people scrambled around to find out if anyone they knew was trapped under the collapsed Iranian City Light Hotel. Around 6:30am in the morning, the building caved in on itself, killing 11 people, and injuring 14. Even as we write this, more people are being dug out from underneath the debris.

The building owner's son is also reported to be trapped under the collapsed structure.

Rescue teams have been dispatched to the site, and 10 people have already been dug out from under the debris, but there are still more, trapped under the crushing weight of a building that was nearly 80 years old.

Despite its age, it had not received any notifications for renovations from the GHMC, due to the authorities' perception that the building "looked fine from outside".

While the victims are still being rescued, the blame-game has already started. This is when all the concerned authorities gather together, and vehemently argue why any of this wasn't their fault.

Leading the round, for now, are the civic authorities who have blamed the building's owner for allowing the transport of heavy bricks to the first-floor, in order to set up the Haleem ovens. Also, they point out derisively, there were no concrete pillars to support the building.

The rescue teams are also in danger as they have to tread cautiously, lest the leaking LPG cylinders spell their death. GHMC commissioner M T Krishna Babu was reported as having rushed to the spot, as there were at least 20 GHMC workers in the hotel at the time of its collapse.