15 dead as Pune apartment wall collapses

 A total of 15 people mostly hailing from West Bengal and Bihar were killed while three others were injured when a compound wall of a building collapsed in Kondwa, here early on Saturday, officials said.

The incident occurred around 2.15 a.m. when the compound wall of Alcon Stylus Building suddenly came crashing down trapping the victims still asleep in their huts, police and NDRF officials said.

Teams of rescuers who rushed to the spot managed to rescue just three alive including two minors. Most of them were labourers, the officials said.

Among the dead were 10 men, five children. Work was still on to rescue some others feared trapped in the rubble.

"We are immediately issuing a Stop Work order to an adjoining building where construction activities are underway. We shall also give full relief to the victims' families," Pune Mayor Mukta Tilak told the media here.

Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil who said he was rushing to Pune, warned that no guilty will be spared.

The Pune Collectorate and Pune Municipal Corporation authorities said they will probe the tragedy.

The victims identified are mostly labourers working on the building sites -- Sunil Singh, Sonali Das, Bhima Das, Deepan Sharma, Alok Verma, Mohan Sharma, Sangeeta Devi, Neeta, Avdhesh Singh, Aman Sharma, Ravi Sharma, Ajit Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Laxmikant Sahani, Ovi Das.IANS