Three people were killed and eight injured after a residential building collapsed in Amraiwadi area of Ahmedabad on Thursday, PTI reported. Rescue operations are under way.

Assistant Fire Officer PS Parmar said some occupants were still feared under the debris. He said fire brigade personnel along with local residents and policemen were engaged in sifting through the rubble to rescue survivors. Parmar said so far they have pulled out eight people alive from under the rubble and have referred them to government run-LG Hospital in the city.

Doctors declared an elderly couple and a 36-year-old woman as brought dead.

“Locals told us the building was around 80 years old and four to five families were living there,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Akshayraj Makwana told the news agency.

“The rescue operation is still on as we suspect that four more persons are still trapped under the debris,” Makwana added.

The building is located at the end of a congested lane in Banglawali Chali society, The Indian Express reported quoting municipal officials. The incident took place around noon. People living in the nearby areas were the first to respond to the situation.

A fire safety official said rescue operations were hampered by bystanders, who were climbing up on the debris. “Also, the officials are trying to listen to any cries for help made by the trapped persons but the overbearing presence of bystanders is making it difficult,” he added.

Amraiwadi Councillor and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Baldev Desai said the building was 100 years old, the Hindustan Times reported.

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