New Delhi: A building collapse in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan left seven people dead, while several people are still feared to be trapped under the debris. Six of the seven dead are Army personnel.

A total of 37 people were trapped in the building when it fell amidst heavy rains in the area. So far, 17 Army personnel and 11 civilians have been rescued, while seven bodies were retrieved from the debris. As many as seven Army personnel are still feared to be trapped.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jairam Thakur, on reaching the site of the collapse, said, "Rescue operations started on time, then we called NDRF too." He added, "The reason for the collapse will be clear after the report comes out. There was surely some problem with the structure of the building. Seven are dead."

Thakur, earlier tweeted in Hindi, saying rescue efforts were on to save those trapped inside the building.

Those rescued sustained multiple injuries and were admitted to a nearby hospital. Rescue operations are on as seven more remain trapped under the rubble.

The Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police are jointly carrying out the rescue operation. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has also been called from Panchkula in Haryana, an official said.

The building, which housed a restaurant, collapsed because of heavy rain in the area. A case of negligence has been registered against the restaurant owner under the Indian Penal Code.

The army personnel and their family members were on their way to Uttarakhand and had stopped at the restaurant for lunch, a district official said, according to PTI.