Gujarat building collapse: 7 bodies recovered after 14-hour-long rescue operation

NEW DELHI: A six-storey building in Surat's Sachin area collapsed on Saturday, resulting in seven deaths in the Sachin area of Surat in Gujarat.
Basant Pareek, the chief fire officer of Surat, provided details of the incident. "Around 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, we received information about the collapse of a building," Pareek was quoted as saying by ANI.
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"Approximately 20 fire officers, along with the administration, rushed to the spot. We conducted a search and rescue operation throughout the night," he said.

He further added that a woman was rescued safely from the debris and a total of seven bodies were retrieved.
"During the operation, we heard a woman's voice from beneath the debris. After digging out the debris, the firemen safely rescued her. We continued the search operation and have so far recovered seven bodies," he said. This woman was the only survivor found in the wreckage.

"There are no reports of any more missing persons," Pareek added, though the search operation continues to ensure no one is left unaccounted for.
The collapse occurred among 30 flats in the building, of which only 4-5 were occupied at the time.

Moreover, many of the inhabitants were either at work or sleeping after a night shift at the time of the collapse, which added complexity to the rescue efforts.