A three-storey residential building collapsed in Ahmedabad’s Khadia area on Sunday afternoon, September 13, trapping four people under the debris and leaving 45-year-old Sonal Rana dead and three others injured. The incident occurred at Laxminarayan ni Pol, near Mayabhai ni Bari and behind Panchkuva Darwaja, in a densely populated part of the old city.
Fire and emergency personnel reached the narrow lane after receiving an emergency call from Khadia Char Rasta. According to a fire department official cited by media reports, rescuers initially pulled out two people and later rescued the remaining occupants after clearing the debris.
The injured were identified as Janvi Rana, 27, Parth Rana, 23, and Ashaben, 42, and were taken to hospitals for treatment. Sonal Rana was also rescued and taken to LG Hospital, but resident medical officer Aalap Shah told media that she was declared dead at the hospital. The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been established and a probe has been launched.
Three-Hour Rescue In Khadia
The collapse turned into a difficult rescue operation because of the tightly packed lanes of the old-city neighbourhood. Media reported that six fire vehicles and 25 personnel were deployed, while heavy machinery could not enter the narrow pol lane, forcing firefighters to clear the rubble manually. The rescue operation lasted around three hours.
Rescuers first located Janvi Rana and subsequently pulled out Parth Rana and another injured occupant, according to the local report. Media reports identified the three injured occupants as Janvi Rana, Parth Rana and Ashaben, with all three receiving medical treatment.
Sonal Rana was among those who remained trapped for longer. Fire personnel continued searching through the debris until they located her. She was taken to LG Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Her death turned a rescue operation that had initially focused on saving four trapped occupants into a fatality investigation.
The incident also highlights the risks faced by emergency responders in Ahmedabad’s historic pol areas, where closely packed buildings and narrow access routes can prevent large rescue equipment from reaching the site quickly. In this case, firefighters had to rely substantially on manual debris removal to reach those trapped inside.
Ageing Building Raises Safety Questions
The structure that collapsed was reportedly around 80 years old and in a dilapidated condition. Ahmedabad Mirror reported that the building, identified as house number 1163, had been considered unsafe and that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had previously issued a notice asking occupants to vacate it.
Gujarat Samachar also reported that preliminary findings indicated the building was more than eight decades old and that an AMC warning had been issued before the collapse. The reported notice is significant because it shifts attention beyond the immediate collapse towards the wider question of how ageing structures are identified, monitored and made safe in densely populated parts of Ahmedabad.
Khadia contains numerous traditional pols and old residential structures, many of which form part of Ahmedabad’s historic urban fabric. Preserving these neighbourhoods is important, but heritage value does not remove the need for basic structural safety. Buildings that have deteriorated over decades require timely inspection, repair, evacuation where necessary and, in some cases, carefully planned reconstruction.
The collapse also occurred while Ahmedabad was experiencing rainfall. However, there is currently no official confirmation that rain caused the building to fail. India Today reported that the cause was not immediately clear and that a probe had been launched to establish what led to the collapse.
This distinction matters. Rain may have coincided with the incident, but establishing whether water ingress, structural deterioration, foundation problems, construction changes or another factor contributed to the collapse will require a technical assessment.
The incident comes after another building collapse in Ahmedabad’s old city earlier this year. In January, a house collapse in the Ghee Kanta area prompted an emergency rescue operation after officials feared that around four people could be trapped beneath the debris. A fire brigade official at the time said teams were working to rescue those inside.
Such incidents underline the recurring challenge posed by ageing buildings in densely populated parts of the city, particularly during periods of adverse weather.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The death of Sonal Rana is a reminder that building safety is ultimately about people, not just structures. The three survivors and their families now face the consequences of a sudden collapse, while the circumstances surrounding the building’s reported condition deserve a transparent and accountable examination.
If the structure had indeed been identified as unsafe before the incident, authorities must establish what happened between the warning and the collapse, including whether the occupants were adequately protected and whether appropriate enforcement followed. At the same time, this should not become an exercise in blame without evidence.
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