Udhagamandalam building collapse: 6 women labourers trapped inside debris dead, two critical (Lead)

Chennai, Feb 7 (IANS) At least six women labourers were killed after being buried under the debris when an abandoned building in Tamil Nadu's Udhagamandalam collapsed, leading to a landslide, on Wednesday, police said.

The incident occurred on at Gandhi Nagar, Love Dale, in Udhagamandalam, trapping 15 labourers, including women.

Local people and fire and rescue services initially rescued seven people from the debris but eight people remained trapped inside, out of which six women died.

Police sources told IANS that two of the injured are critical and admitted in a local hospital.

The deceased women are identified as Sakila, 30, Bhagya, 36, Sangeeta, 35, Radha, 38, Muthulakshmi, 36, and Uma, 35.

Construction workers at the site told media persons said they were building a retaining wall below an overhanging cliff which towered around 25 feet above the construction site.

According to rescuers, an abandoned public toilet on the cliff is said to have collapsed on top of the workers, along with a portion of the cliff.

--IANS

aal/vd