Chennai Rains: Floor of house caves in

It was about nine years ago Gunasekaran of Urapakkam purchased the ground floor house from a builder. On Tuesday, while it was raining heavily in Urapakkam, the floor in the living room caved in to a depth of about eight feet. Gunasekaran said initially he noticed a crack in one of the tiles and immediately fixed it using cement. But a few hours later, the floor caved in all of a sudden and he and his wife had a narrow escape from drowning.

The water was flowing heavily under the floor. Gunasekaran said he purchased the house only after verifying the DTCP approved documents and was not aware that there is a canal underneath the house. Sources said another house in the apartment is also in danger as the tiles have started to crack. The families requested government help and sought action against the officials who approved the land.