The building apparently tilted and sank to one side on Saturday due to a digging taking place in the neighbouring plot. Municipal authorities had issued a warning to the owner of Hotel Shakunt on the third and fourth floors to have the hotel vacated, but he didn’t heed the warning. At least 12 persons were injured and one is in a critical state, police said. Twenty rooms of the 40-room hotel were occupied and the toll is likely to go up, they said.

The mishap occurred around 8.30 am. Praduman Devda, a constable in the Shaherkotda police station, who was in a tea stall near the accident site, said, “I heard the sound of the building’s window panes falling on the roadside near the tea stall. Even before I could understand, the entire structure crumbled down in few seconds.”

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had issued its warning on Friday afternoon, asking that the premises be vacated entirely. Alert staff of the Bank of India on the first and second floors vacated the premises on Saturday itself, when the building tilted and cracks surfaced.

Hotel manager Gaurang Jani could not give the exact number of people in the hotel when it collapsed, police said.

The police said some portion of the multi-storey building sank because of the open 20-feet deep ditch turning into a sump on Friday. The foundation of the collapsed building was about 15 ft.

The city police were alerted around 8.45 am and vehicles of the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) were rushed to the spot. Deputy chief fire officer, Rajesh Bhatt said, “A total of six JCB machines, 25 dumpers , two wheel dozers, eight cranes, six emergency tenders, two water tenders and ten ambulances are being used in the operation. Apart from this, teams of the NDRF, the RSS, the AMC and volunteers are also helping us. A few more bodies are likely to be extricated from the debris.”

Based on a complaint filed by an inspector in the AMC’s Town Development Office (TDO), the Kalupur police have booked ten people on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder (IPC section 304). They include Jani, owner of the collapsed building, city-based architect A Y Kodia and structure designer I M Bhati and the owners of the under construction site - Yunus Patel, Rahema Patel, Taheera Patel, Sayed Patel, Salim Patel, Mohammed Patel and Naim Patel. No one was, however, arrested till reports last came in.

WHY THE HOTEL COLLAPSED?
Though no official reports exists as of now, this is what the Fire Brigade and municipal authorities say: The foundations of the hotel had been weakened due to digging in a neighbouring plot. The plot, owned by another hotel, Moti Mahal, was being dug to build a basement for a multi-storied building. By Friday night, a 20 feet deep crater was formed. The foundation of Shakunt Hotel was only 15 feet. The water-filled crater weakened its foundations and destabilised it. Moti Mahal was burned down in 1992 following the post-Babri Masjid riots.

WAS THERE A RULE VIOLATION?
Architect Rajendra Desai, who had done extensive work in areas affected by December 2006 earthquake in Kashmir, says: “In case of digging beside an existing building, no sensible engineer will dig deeper than the foundation of the nearby building. Whoever has permitted this deserved to be punished.”

DID NO ONE OBJECT?
Shakunt hotel owner Gaurang Jani was apprehending the collapse and had brought this to the notice of Moti Bakery owners. They were told that the supports provided to the building were inadequate. Following this, they had agreed to put additional supports by Sunday, but it was too late.

DID ANYONE KNOW THE DANGER?
The 25-year-old building had tilted to one side on Saturday and the Municipal Corporation asked people to vacate the building, says Municipal Commissioner IP Gautam. The Bank of India occupying the first and second floors vacated it on Friday, keeping only the ATM running. “Bricks had dislodged and a huge hole was formed in the wall. We moved all our computers, important documents and cash,” says senior manager DR Parmar.

WHAT WERE HOTEL STAFF DOING?
Though the hotel staff initially heeded the AMC warning and asked the occupants to leave, they were told to return if they wanted. Several people who had already booked rooms decided to stay on. “And later, some time during the night, the people once again moved in on the advise of the hotel manager,” says IP Gautam.