Bengaluru, Mar 19: Two people were killed and several others trapped when a four-storeyed under construction building collapsed at Dharwad in north Karnataka Tuesday, police said.

The building came crashing down, triggering panic among neighbours and passers-by, a police official said.

"Two have died while some 30 to 40 people are trapped," said a police officer at Dharwad police station.

Police said four people have been brought out from the debris while rescue operations are in full swing.

As many as 10 ambulances and five fire tenders have been engaged to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he was shocked to learn about the collapse of the under construction building.

Kumaraswamy said he has directed the chief secretary to supervise the rescue operation and to send experienced rescue teams by special flight to Dharwad.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.

The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.

At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.

According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.

An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.

“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.

The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.

Police have since launched a search for the suspects.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.

The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.

According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.