Indore building collapse: Tenant alerted landlord 'it could collapse any moment'. He ignored it

A five-hour rescue operation ended early Tuesday morning. According to reports, 14 people were trapped under the debris, of whom 12 were rescued and admitted to a hospital while two succumbed to their injuries. (Image credit: ANI)

The tenant of the Indore building that collapsed on Monday night had reportedly warned the landlord of the three-storey structure about its deteriorating condition just eight days ago. He, however, ignored the warning which led to the collapse killing two people and injuring 12 others.

The building, located in Ranipura locality -- a densely populated area -- housed 22 members of landlord Sammu Ansari’s family and had three front rooms rented out. One of the tenants, electrical goods trader Shashank Gupta, used one of the rooms as a warehouse. Gupta told PTI that he had repeatedly alerted Ansari about the building’s fragile state. “Eight days ago, after seeing the condition of the building, I told Ansari twice or thrice that it could collapse any moment, and he should be careful,” Gupta said. He added that the shutter of his warehouse had slid down on its own, prompting concern.

Despite the warning, Ansari reportedly took no action. Gupta said he had already moved 70 percent of his goods to two other rented warehouses. “If it had not rained on Monday, I would have moved the remaining goods too,” he said, adding that he had decided to vacate the warehouse.

Gupta attributed the collapse to rainwater flowing down Jawahar Marg into the basement and rat burrowing, which had weakened the building’s foundation over time. Another local resident, Mohammad Amil Ansari, confirmed that tenants had warned the landlord earlier. “Eight members of Ansari’s family were outside at the time of the collapse. Had they been inside, the tragedy could have been even worse,” he said.

The collapse led to a five-hour rescue operation that ended early Tuesday morning. District Collector Shivam Verma said 14 people were trapped under the debris, of whom 12 were rescued and admitted to Maharaja Yeshwantrao Government Hospital (MYH). The deceased were identified as Alifa (20) and Fahimuddin Ansari alias Faheem (40).

Dean of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Dr Arvind Ghanghoria, confirmed that Alifa was declared dead on arrival at MYH. Officials said the front portion of the building had recently been rebuilt, but the rear section was old and structurally compromised. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava stated that a portion of the collapsed building also damaged a neighbouring structure.

Preliminary reports suggest the building was eight to ten years old. Police and district administration have launched a detailed investigation into the incident, including the structural integrity of the foundation and the landlord’s alleged negligence.

(With inputs from PTI)