Two more rescued from Mirpur building collapse

MIRPUR: Officials on Saturday rescued two more people — 19 so far — from the rubble of a three-storey marriage hall which collapsed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir a day earlier that left at least three dead, Geo News reported.

The building, situated in Mirpur’s Chaksawari area, had come down on Friday afternoon while it was undergoing renovation.

An injured labourer, who was rescued by officials, estimated that more than 50 construction workers were working on the building when it came crashing down. The marriage hall owner and his son were said to be among the deceased.

Swiftly, the Pakistan Army initiated rescue efforts along with the civil administration, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. Seventeen people had been rescued from the debris that day. The military’s media wing had said the Army’s Urban Search and Rescue team came in from Rawalpindi to aid in the efforts.