Bhopal:
A section of a wing of a government hospital in Bhopal has collapsed. Twenty-five people have been rescued, but several others, including patients, are feared trapped.
(Pics)Two people are seriously injured but there are no reports of any casualties yet.
The Kasturba Gandhi Hospital has been evacuated and patients and those injured in the collapse have been shifted to other hospitals nearby.
The incident occurred at around 5:30 this evening. The portion of the hospital wing that collapsed also housed the female surgical ward. It is a decades-old building.
"Right now, relief operations are our priority and then we will try to find out how the accident happened," hospital spokesperson Vinodanand Jha told AFP.
A staffer for the ambulance service said the roof collapsed without any warning and fell "in a shower of debris of bricks and mortar". "It happened very suddenly," the worker, who did not give his name, told AFP by phone.
The Army is helping in rescue operations. Locals have helped in pulling out people from the debris and more than half of those who were inside the building have been rescued.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a compensation of Rs 50, 000 for those injured in the incident.
The hospital, run by the state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), is situated in the Fatehgarh area of Bhopal.