Secunderabad:
12 people were killed after an 80-year-old building collapsed in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh this morning.
The building owner's son was among those killed. Three people are still trapped under debris of the three-storey City Light hotel, which collapsed at around 6:30 am. (
Watch: rescue efforts after Secunderabad building collapse)
The building owner reportedly suffered a heart attack on hearing about his son's death. Civic authorities blamed the owner, saying the building may have collapsed under the weight of bricks being transported to the first floor for installing ovens for Haleem, a popular dish cooked on slow fire. There were no concrete pillars to support the decades-old structure. (
Pics)
Despite the structural weaknesses in the building, City Lights was not among the 57 buildings in the city that were recently issued notices on safety.
This was because the 'building looked fine from outside', the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commissioner Krishna Babu told NDTV.
But City Planning Commissioner Raghu says in future, all buildings over 60 years old will be given notice for renovation.