At least 12 people were injured after a three-storey building on a hill's slope collapsed due to a cave-in when a earthmover was working near it in Ladakh's Kargil district early Saturday, police officials said.

Of those hurt, five, including the earthmover's driver, were rescued from under the debris of the house, they said.

They have been hospitalised and a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident that took place around 3:30 am at Kabaddi Nallah, the officials said. The condition of the injured is stated to be stable.

People from nearby houses were moved to safer places following the cave-in, they said. The officials said a rescue operation was launched immediately after receiving information about the building collapse. Police and army personnel and local volunteers were involved in the operation.

Most of those injured were tenants, they said and added that it took rescuers around three hours to remove debris and pull out the earthmover's driver from inside the heavily damaged cabin of the machine.

Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, Mohd Jaffer Akhoon and Kargil Deputy Commissioner, Shrikant Balasaheb Suse supervised the rescue operation.

"We have taken the incident seriously and a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to probe the incident. Those found guilty will be punished," Suse told reporters.

He said the administration has decided to form a committee to inspect structures in "vulnerable areas" of the district.

"The committee will also check for any violation in building regulation laws and identify the guilty," the official said.

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