Panic gripped Bengaluru’s JP Nagar neighbourhood on Sunday evening as the ground floor of a building partially collapsed after developing cracks. The incident took place at Vivekananda Colony, near Puttenahalli Circle. No casualties or major injuries were reported.

At around 6.30pm in the evening, the cracks reportedly grew wider and residents began to run outside. By 7pm, the ground floor had completely sunk in and left only the first two floors visible. Residents who ran outside informed the police and the Fire and Emergency services. Police evacuated all five families as a precaution, upon reaching the spot.

“The building now looks like a two-floor structure. Personnel from Fire and Emergency services have taken all precautionary measures and evacuated occupants of adjacent buildings too,” DCP South, Rohini Sepat-Koch stated to the Times of India (ToI).

According to reports, the 30-year-old building in JP Nagar’s 7th phase had allegedly started collapsing at around 7 in the morning on Sunday, due to cracks which developed in the building. However, residents allegedly did not pay much heed to the issue at first. Speaking to ToI, police officers stated that five families lived on the first and second floors. In addition, four shops were present on the ground floor.

Puttenahalli police are trying to track down the building owner Gautam Harsha, who has been absconding. A case of negligence has been registered against him by the police.

Earlier in July, in a similar case, a building in Bengaluru’s Thomas Town had sunk into the ground. The pillars of an under-construction building near Sai Adi Ambal residential building had given way. The structure then leaned onto the complex and caused an section of the parking area to collapse. As a result of the parking area collapsing, the rest of the building too sunk in. Five casualties were reported.