The BBMP says debris removal would be completed within a week, with disposal planned at a government-owned empty lot near Hennur Bande.
Credit: DH PHOTO/MS MANJUNATH
Bengaluru: The Babusapalya building collapse site was thick with the odour of decomposed human flesh as the body of Elumalai, the second contractor, was found in the debris on Friday, bringing the death toll to nine.
Elumalai’s body, caked in mud with a swollen face and head, was discovered by the rescue team around 10.45 am. Few people were present at the time, with only officials, Elumalai’s grieving family, some locals, and passersby observing as rescue workers from the Fire Department, the Karnataka State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the police carefully extracted the body over a half-hour effort. The body was then transported to Bowring Hospital.
Bulldozer operator’s distress
Ram Mani, a 26-year-old bulldozer operator from Uttar Pradesh, shared his harrowing experience assisting in the rescue. “I could not sleep for two days. I have operated bulldozers for five to six years, but I have never been so frightened,” he said.
A police official at the site said the bulldozer operation paused when the team detected a strong odour of decomposed flesh in the air. “The smell was intense. We stopped immediately to pinpoint its source and found him,” the officer recounted.
A Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) source stated that debris removal would be completed within a week, with disposal planned at a government-owned empty lot near Hennur Bande.
Neighbour demands compensation
Cynthia Lobo, a 73-year-old resident of Banaswadi who, along with her 85-year-old husband, owns two adjoining 30x60 plots next to the collapsed building, expressed sorrow and anger. The foundation they had dug three years ago was destroyed due to alleged negligence by others.
She tearfully mourned the tragedy, saying, “It feels like we’re building castles on the blood of the working class.”
Cynthia added that they had repeatedly asked the site owner to relocate the workers' temporary sheds that were set up on their property. “Now, it’s all gone,” she said, urging the government to compensate them for the damage done to their foundation.