Dharwad building crash toll 7, efforts on to rescue 12 girls

DHARWAD: Rescue personnel on Wednesday pulled out five more bodies from the debris of the collapsed four-storey building in Dharwad, taking the toll to seven. Officials said at least 30 people, including 12 girls who were at a cyber cafe in the eastern part of the building, are still trapped in the rubble.
Special NDRF teams from Bengaluru and Ghaziabad are struggling to rescue the girls.What's standing between them and a looming tragedy are heavy concrete pillars and walls which are difficult to break down.
Deputy commissioner Deepa Cholan said they were making all efforts to save the girls, who have been provided glucose and water since morning. The response from the girls, who were in touch with rescue officials through the day, wasn't encouraging by late evening, she added.
"Some girls had come to apply for an online bank examination. After my son came to the shop, I went home for lunch. That's when I heard the building had crashed. My son, too, is trapped," cafe owner Prakash Kudatarkar said.
Over 110 NDRF personnel joined the local teams to rescue 27 people, including three women, till Wednesday evening. So far, 55 people have been rescued after the building came down crashing in city's Kumareshwar Nagar on Tuesday.