NEW DELHI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in Tuesday's under-construction building collapse in India's southern state of Karnataka has risen to four, and at least 30 to 40 people are still trapped under the rubble, a senior government official told Xinhua.
Prakash Bssannavar, a Karnataka government official involved in relief and rescue work, said that the rescue work is still on and efforts are underway to bring out those trapped.
"We have rescued at least 53 people so far. We fear at least 30 to 40 persons are still trapped under the debris," he said.
There are enough rescue workers from different agencies involved in the rescue work. "A 35-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Bengaluru joined the rescue operations on Tuesday. Another 73-member NDRF team from Gaziabad arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday to step up the rescue operations," he added.
The incident occurred in the Kumareshwar Nagar of the state's Dharwad district. The four-storey building was located in a commercial complex. A few shops had already been rented out, though the building was yet to be completed, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.
Initial media reports had suggested that as many as 40 people were feared trapped under the rubble although there has been no confirmation on the exact number. Cops and fire tenders rushed to the spot soon after the collapse and commenced rescue and relief operations.
