Several theories have come to light about the collapse of a residential apartment building on Wazir Hasan Road in Lucknow on Tuesday evening even as the exact cause is not clear yet.
Locals said construction work was going on at the building’s parking lot and this may be the reason for the collapse.
Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) DS Chauhan, however, said, “Prima facie, it appears a case of natural disaster. Perhaps the 5.8 intensity earthquake (with its epicentre in Nepal) coupled with the building being in a riverine belt—as the Gomti river is nearby—could have caused the incident.”
“Of course, some construction work was going on in the building, but it was light work. There were no construction machines. So, the construction work could not have been the cause. Still, everything is a matter of investigation. We had asked a team of structural experts to come over to probe. Structural engineers will soon visit the site to probe the possible cause of the collapse,” he said.
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According to locals, the builder was allegedly constructing basement by breaking some columns of building. However, this could not be verified as people were citing various reasons that may have triggered the collapse.
Tremors were felt in Lucknow and other parts of Uttar Pradesh and north India after an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale with an epicentre located in Nepal, jolted the areas at 2:28:31 pm on Tuesday. The tremors lasted for several seconds.
