Delhi’s building collapse toll reaches 70

Monday’s house collapse toll at Lalita Park here rose to 70 with recovery of a corpse as the rescuers continued to rummage though the rubbles on Thursday.

The body of a man was extricated from underneath of the mountain of rubbles and was taken to hospital for necessary formalities, fire brigade officials monitoring the removal of debris said.

They said so far 70 bodies- 29 women, 17 children and the rest adult males- were found under debris after the five-storey apartment flattened in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar on Monday evening.

Police said more than 60 families, mostly daily wage labourers from West Bengal, had been staying in the damaged building, where a fifth floor was under construction during the mishap.

About 80 wounded have been shifted to different hospitals with many in critical condition after the accident.