Building collapse kills 2 in India; 12 trapped in rubble
NEW DELHI (AP) — A three-story building collapsed after monsoon rains in a hilly area of northern India on Sunday, killing at least two people and trapping a dozen others in the rubble.
Jai Ram Thakur, a top elected official of Himachal Pradesh state, says 23 people, including several soldiers, have been rescued in the town of Solan.
The dead were one Indian soldier and one civilian, he told reporters.
Thakur said most of these people were sitting in a ground floor restaurant in the building when it collapsed because of a weakened foundation.
He also said the rescuers were looking for 12 others, including some soldiers, still unaccounted for.
Building collapses are common in India during the June-September monsoon season, when heavy rains weaken the foundations of structures that are poorly constructed.