There are positive signs for the construction sector with a private reading showing increases in activity for the first time this year.

The Australian Industry Group's Performance of Construction Index rose above the crucial 50-point level separating expansion from contraction in June.

The index hit 51.8 in the month - the highest reading since November last year.

The Australian Industry Group's director of public policy Peter Burn says the rebound in activity was evidenced by an increase in new orders and deliveries from suppliers.

"The Australian construction sector closed off the financial year on a positive note by lifting back into growth following five slow months," he said.

However, it seems employers are still reluctant to take on new workers.

AI Group says, in spite of the growth, employment contracted for the seventh month is a row, indicating the operating environment remains tough.

There is a clear shift away from a reliance on mining related activity emerging as the eastern states start to lead the charge.

"New orders in the engineering construction sub-sector continued to fall and, with the mining construction boom now winding down, the outlook for this sub-sector is for ongoing weakness," Mr Burn said.

"In contrast, and suggesting further rebalancing within the construction sector, new orders grew at a faster pace for both housing and apartment building."

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Construction records first positive reading this year: Australian Industry Group

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -

University Police released the following information:

At about 3:30 a.m., University of California Santa Barbara Police, Santa Barbara Sheriff and Santa Barbara County Fire Departments responded to reports of a fire seen at the UCSB Sierra Madre Housing construction site adjacent to Storke Road. Upon arrival, officers observed flames inside a future apartment building.

Two work trailers in an adjoining construction site were also engulfed in flames. The building and trailers were severely damaged by the fire. These were among many other structures under construction which were not damaged.

None of the structures were occupied and there were no reported injuries. By 6 a.m. the fire was under control and an investigation into the cause and extent of the damage was initiated. The UCSB Fire Marshal, Santa Barbara County Arson Task Force, Santa Barbara County District Attorneys Office, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms were added to the cooperative effort and a unified command was established.

Although the cause of the fire is being determined at this time, witnesses reported seeing a white male leaving the construction site at the time the fires started and then fleeing west toward the UCSB North Campus Open Space.

The UCSB Police Department is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful conviction of the person or persons who caused these fires. In the event multiple people come forward with such information the money would be divided.

Anyone with information about the fires or the subject seen leaving the scene are encouraged to contact the UCSB Police Department at 805-893-3446 or the Crimestoppers hotline at 1-877-800-9100.

Campus officials released the following statement: We are grateful for the response of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the UC Police Department and Sheriffs office and are thankful that there were no injuries involved.

There were three structures that were damaged by fire including a construction trailer, the old golf course cart barn, and the frame of an unfinished building for faculty and staff housing.

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Reward Offered in Campus Construction Site Fire

NEW DELHI: Rescuers have pulled 13 more bodies from the rubble of a building that collapsed last weekend in southern India, raising the death toll to at least 55, officials said Thursday.

The 11-storey apartment tower on the outskirts of Tamil Nadu's state capital Chennai, which was still under construction, came crashing down Saturday following heavy rains, killing mainly labourers.

Karuna Sagar, a senior officer with the Tamil Nadu state police force, said the confirmed death toll from the disaster now stood at 55 and added that chances of finding more survivors "appear bleak".

Some 27 people have been rescued from the rubble so far. It is not known how many people were inside the building at the time of the collapse.

"There is no question of winding up the rescue operations any time soon," Sagar told AFP by telephone.

"As we've said repeatedly, the (rescue) efforts will continue till the very last," he said.

"We don't know if there are more people buried under the debris. To find that out we have to continue the work."

Rescuers have been working almost round the clock, using drills, mechanical diggers and heavy-cutting equipment to break through slabs of concrete.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, meanwhile, announced that a one-man commission will investigate the disaster.

The commission will look into the circumstances that led to the collapse and "fix responsibility", she said in a statement, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

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India building collapse death toll climbs to 55

AFP Survivors pulled from collapsed India building, toll hits 20

New Delhi (AFP) - Rescuers on Monday plucked two survivors from the ruins of a southern India apartment block that collapsed at the weekend, as they raced against the clock to find dozens more feared trapped in the rubble.

The confirmed death toll from Saturday's disaster on the outskirts of Chennai rose to 20 as authorities blamed shoddy construction for what was the second deadly building collapse in India within a matter of hours.

Karuna Sagar, a senior officer with the Tamil Nadu state police force said that, six people were arrested in the case on account of negligence, including the builder and his son, the architect of the residential tower and three others overseeing the building construction.

"Forty-three bodies were retrieved, of them 20 were dead and 23 were alive," Sagar told AFP in a phone interview on Monday.

"About 30 may be trapped (under the debris), but the exact number is not known yet," he added, speaking in English.

Reports said that two people rescued on Monday morning included a 35-year-old female construction worker who was one of several dozen entombed by a mass of concrete on Saturday night.

The woman had suffered a head injury, a hospital spokesman told the Press Trust of India news agency. A male co-worker was also being treated in hospital.

Emergency teams used mechanical diggers and heavy-cutting equipment to try and find more survivors in the ruins of what was a partially-built 11-storey complex.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said more than 400 rescuers were taking part in the search and were "leaving no stone unturned to save lives of the victims... by making best use of the latest sophisticated equipment".

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Survivors pulled from collapsed India building, toll hits 20

NEW DELHI - Rescuers on Monday plucked two survivors from the ruins of a southern India apartment block that collapsed at the weekend, as they raced against the clock to find dozens more feared trapped in the rubble.

The confirmed death toll from Saturday's disaster on the outskirts of Chennai rose to 20 as the authorities blamed shoddy construction for what was the second deadly building collapse in India within a matter of hours.

Mr Karuna Sagar, a senior officer with the Tamil Nadu state police force said that, six people were arrested in the case on account of negligence, including the builder and his son, the architect of the residential tower and three others overseeing the building construction.

"Forty-three bodies were retrieved, of them 20 were dead and 23 were alive," Mr Sagar told AFP in a phone interview on Monday. "About 30 may be trapped (under the debris), but the exact number is not known yet," he added.

Reports said that two people rescued on Monday morning included a 35-year-old female construction worker who was one of several dozen entombed by a mass of concrete on Saturday night.

The woman had suffered a head injury, a hospital spokesman told the Press Trust of India news agency. A male co-worker was also being treated in hospital.

Emergency teams used mechanical diggers and heavy-cutting equipment to try and find more survivors in the ruins of what was a partially built 11-storey complex.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said more than 400 rescuers were taking part in the search and were "leaving no stone unturned to save lives of the victims... by making best use of the latest sophisticated equipment".

Mr Sagar said the rescue operation was being complicated by fears that the removal of debris in a rush could harm those trapped inside, and the operation had to be carried out systematically.

"The building has come down like a stack of cards," Mr Sagar told AFP.

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Survivors pulled from collapsed India apartment building; death toll hits 20

The 11-storey block of flats was being built in a suburb of the Indian city It collapsed after heavy monsoon rains and 'being hit by lightning' At least 19 have been killed as officials from building firm arrested

By Associated Press

Published: 02:56 EST, 30 June 2014 | Updated: 10:05 EST, 30 June 2014

Rescuers have pulled two survivors from the huge pile of broken concrete left by the collapse of an 11-storey apartment building that killed at least 19 in the south of India.

Seasonal monsoon rains were complicating the search, but rescuers said they hoped to find more people alive after rescuing a woman and a man on Monday - two days after the collapse.

Three backhoes were working to clear the area, but more than 100 rescuers wearing hard hats on site were trying to avoid upsetting the debris, which was in a huge pile of dust, crumbled concrete, slabs and twisted iron girders that could still settle further. Instead, they were listening for sounds to help guide their search.

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Rescue workers carry a survivor pulled from the wreckage of the collapse apartment building in Chennai

Diggers clear rubble from the wreckage but are moving slowly for fear of shifting the debris dramatically

'We heard voices coming from the debris' on Sunday, said S.P. Selvan of the National Disaster Response Force. 'Following the voice ... one lady was retrieved alive yesterday evening.'

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Chennai flats survivors pulled from rubble of concrete as rescuers aim to avoid upsetting debris

More than 100 rescuers carefully dug for survivors under a collapsed 11-story building in southern India on Monday, with hopes buoyed after six people were found alive two days after the tragedy.

The collapse Saturday killed at least 19 people and left an enormous pile of broken slabs, twisted iron girders and concrete dust where the apartment building, still under construction, had stood in a suburb of Chennai, the south-coast capital of Tamil Nadu state.

Nearly 90 contract workers, most from neighboring Andhra Pradesh state, were believed to have been in the basement collecting wages.

Rescuers have pulled at least 41 people from the wreckage, even as seasonal monsoon rains impeded the search. Police said 30 other people are likely still trapped.

Three backhoes were working to clear the area, but rescuers were having to work slowly and carefully to avoid upsetting the debris, which could settle further and crush anyone trapped below.

Instead, rescuers were listening for sounds from within the wreckage to help guide their search.

"We heard voices coming from the debris" on Sunday, said S.P. Selvan of the National Disaster Response Force. "Following the voice ... one lady was retrieved alive."

Indian TV news stations broadcast images of rescuers wearing hard hats and masks hoisting a rescued man on a stretcher and carried him down the mountain of debris to an ambulance.

Police have arrested six construction company officials for alleged criminal negligence and violation of building codes.

The governments of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh together offered 700,000 rupees ($11,600) to the families of each person killed.

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Rescuers Dig for Survivors in India Building Ruins

NEW DELHI: Rescuers on Monday plucked two survivors from the ruins of a southern Indian apartment block that collapsed at the weekend, as they raced against the clock to find dozens more feared trapped in the rubble.

The confirmed death toll from Saturday's disaster on the outskirts of Chennai rose to 20 as authorities blamed shoddy construction for what was the second deadly building collapse in India within a matter of hours.

Karuna Sagar, a senior officer with the Tamil Nadu state police force, said that six people were arrested in the case on account of negligence, including the builder and his son, the architect of the residential tower and three others overseeing the building construction.

"Forty-three bodies were retrieved, of them 20 were dead and 23 were alive," Sagar told AFP in a phone interview on Monday.

"About 30 may be trapped (under the debris), but the exact number is not known yet," he added, speaking in English.

Reports said that two people rescued on Monday morning included a 35-year-old female construction worker who was one of several dozen entombed by a mass of concrete on Saturday night.

The woman had suffered a head injury, a hospital spokesman told the Press Trust of India news agency. A male co-worker was also being treated in hospital.

Emergency teams used mechanical diggers and heavy-cutting equipment to try and find more survivors in the ruins of what was a partially-built 11-storey complex.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said more than 400 rescuers were taking part in the search and were "leaving no stone unturned to save lives of the victims... by making best use of the latest sophisticated equipment".

- Collapsed like "stack of cards" -

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Survivors pulled from rubble of India building tragedy

The five-story Proctor Station development will soon begin to rise in Tacoma's Proctor Business District. The project will include 154 apartments and several ground-floor retail spaces. RUSHCOMPANIESBCRA

Proctor Station, a five-story, 154-unit apartment and retail building once criticized by neighbors as too large for the Proctor Business District, will soon begin construction.

Demolition is nearly complete on the site, said Devin Page, Rush Companies vice president of construction. Rush is the buildings principal developer. Excavation of the site will begin the week after Independence Day, he said.

The $20 million development, the largest in the history of Gig Harbors Rush, is due to be completed in late 2015. The building will include studio, one and two bedroom units built over a two-level garage. Ground-floor spaces will be available for retailers to lease.

The building site, adjacent to Mason Middle School, had been occupied by a small strip mall and three houses. The developers allowed the Tacoma Fire Department to conduct fire training exercises in the vacant buildings before demolition was completed.

The plans for Proctor Station encountered opposition from some neighboring homeowners when Rush sought to vacate an alley that bisected the property. Those neighbors complained the building at five stories was too large for the neighborhood business district where existing structures are a maximum of two stories.

A hearings examiner ruled the plans were in compliance with Tacomas zoning codes provided the developers built the structure in a way that would allow fire and garbage trucks access to the back side of the building through a ground-level corridor. The Proctor Business District is one of several neighborhood business districts within the city that the City Council had previously approved rules allowing higher and denser development.

Former City Councilman Bill Evans, a Proctor businessman and one of the co-developers of the project, contended the additional population that the building will bring to the business district merchants more traffic from new residents who live within walking distance of the district shops.

Some nearby residents also complained that the building would increase traffic congestion in the neighborhood and create parking problems in the business district. The developers countered that the building would include parking for residents plus creating more street parking for merchants.

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Construction on a five-story, 154-unit apartment in ...

NEW DELHI: A dilapidated apartment block collapsed in New Delhi on Saturday, killing at least ten people including five children in the country's latest building disaster, reports said citing police officials.

Rescuers scrambled to find survivors after the four-storey residential building crumbled, with scores of people feared trapped under the debris.

"Ten people including five children and three women have been killed in the building collapse while two persons have been injured," Delhi police commissioner Madhur Verma told the Press Trust of India (PTI).

"Rescue operations are still on and debris is being removed," he added.

The decades-old dilapidated building in a congested north Delhi neighbourhood started crumbling on Saturday morning.

"This is a 40-year-old building. They have illegally built floor after floor," Rajesh Bhatia, a senior municipal official told NDTV news channel.

The injured have been rushed to hospital while the government has ordered an inquiry into the the cause of the accident, PTI reported.

Building collapses are common in India, as lax regulations and the demand for cheap housing often spurs construction that uses substandard materials and adds unauthorised extra floors.

Earlier this year, more than 15 people died in the western state of Goa when a residential building collapsed.

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Building collapses in Delhi, killing 10