Surat: 3 dead, 22 injured as as slab connecting two buildings collapses

Surat: Three persons were killed and 22 others injured when a slab connecting two dilapidated buildings collapsed in Surat's Umarwada locality, police said on Monday.

Some residents were sitting under the structure when the portion of the slab came crashing down late last night.

The buildings in the area were constructed by the city civic body under slum rehabilitation programme nearly four decades ago and they were in a dilapidated condition, Surat Municipal Commissioner M Thennarasan said.

"The SMC had served eviction notice to the residents of the buildings in 2014 but they refused to move out. They were asked to undertake construction and redevelopment of the buildings on their own. Some of the blocks were redeveloped, while residents continued to stay there," Thennarasan said.

In the mishap, three of the victims - identified as Shamum Sheikh Rafiq (40), Rizwanabanu Saiyad (42) and Jamilaba Abdul Halim (45) - died during treatment in hospital, police said.

The injured persons were rushed to the city civil hospital where they were undergoing treatment, the SMC commissioner said.