At least 55 killed in Delhi building collapse

16 Nov 2010 02:25:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
NEW DELHI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - At least 55 people were killed and 75 injured after a multi-storey building collapsed in east Delhi late on Monday, local media said.

Local television channels said rescue operations as some people were still feared to trapped in the debris.

Delhi's chief minister Sheila Dixit blamed the building's faulty construction for the tragedy.

"This is the carelessness of the builder...I am not even sure if it is an authorised or unauthorised building," she said. (Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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Shanghai apartment block fire death toll rises to 53
16 Nov 2010 02:00:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
SHANGHAI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The death toll from a fire that swept through a central Shanghai apartment block on Monday has risen to 53, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Xinhua had reported earlier that 42 people had perished in the blaze, which broke out on Monday afternoon in a 28-storey building that was being renovated.

Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu has flown to Shanghai and called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire, saying those responsible would be punished, Xinhua said on Tuesday.

More than 70 people were hospitalised after the blaze, it said.

The cause of the fire was unknown, but a witness said he saw construction material burning before the fire climbed up the scaffolding and quickly spread, Xinhua reported. (Reporting by Jason Subler; Editing by Kim Coghill)