India Building Collapse Leaves 22 People Dead (VIDEO)

Police in southern India detained two construction company directors Sunday as rescuers using gas cutters and shovels searched for dozens of workers believed buried in the rubble of a building that collapsed during monsoon rains. It was one of two weekend building collapses that killed at least 22 people.The 11-story apartment structure the workers were building collapsed late Saturday while heavy rains and lightning were pounding the outskirts of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. Police said 31 construction workers had been pulled out so far and the search was continuing for more than a dozen others.

Four of the workers died on the spot and another seven succumbed to injuries in a hospital, said police officer George Fernandes.

Feeble voices were being heard from those trapped in the debris, said T.S. Sridhar, the disaster management agency commissioner. Rescuers used gas cutters, iron rods and shovels after cranes lifted concrete blocks to get to the survivors.

Nearly 90 contract workers were believed to have been in the basement of the structure to collect their weekly wages when it collapsed, Sridhar said, adding that the exact number of those trapped was unknown.

The collapsed structure was one of the two towers being built in the area, he said.Removing debris is a major challenge. It may take two to three days to clear the rubble,” said S.P. Selvam, who is heading the rescue operation.

Police officer Kanan said two directors of the construction company, Prime Sristi, have been detained for questioning as authorities began investigating the collapse. The officer uses one name.

Balaguru, one of the builders, said the structure collapsed possibly due to the impact of lightning.

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