Suspected human trafficking uncovered after house collapse

More than 40 people were moved into emergency accommodation when a house at the end of King Street crumbled onto the pavement on March 24. Some of the neighbouring buildings are now understood to have contained overcrowded rental flats without any official registration of who lived there.

Initial investigations sparked concerns an undocumented individual had been trapped under the rubble, prompting an extensive search-and-rescue operation.

Human trafficking, or modern slavery, concerns do not relate to all of those displaced by the incident, and it is currently unclear how many people may be affected.

Suspicions were referred to Greater Manchester Police, who took part in a multi-agency meeting earlier today with representatives from several government organisations, the LDRS understands.

When contacted by the LDRS, the National Crime Agency said it cannot confirm or deny the existence of investigations or comment on ongoing proceedings. When contacted for comment, Immigration Enforcement did not respond.

The flats and Euro King Mini Market at 31 King Street dramatically caved in on Tuesday, March 24. The building has been part-owned by councillor Kamran Ghafoor and business partner Sameer Zulqurnain under their business KKS Investors since 2019.

Individuals living in the property that collapsed owned by KKS Investors are not to believed to form part of the concerns over human trafficking.

Neighbours heard the walls crash to the ground at just past 12.30pm, crushing a bus stop just outside the property. Police and fire teams quickly descended on the street with multiple fire engines and cordoned off the area.

A total of five people were injured, according to the council. Two were treated in hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening or life-altering, emergency services confirmed.

One man, who claims he was inside the building when it collapsed, said he has been left ‘traumatised and unable to sleep’.

“I was on the first floor before the building collapsed,” he told the M.E.N. “It is quite traumatising, it’s a miracle that I came out. Since that time I’ve not slept, if I try to sleep I feel like a building is falling on top of me. I thank God that I’m alive.”

Former residents of 31 King Street have been unable to retrieve their belongings in the rubble, including their phones and important documents.

Another man was suspected to have gone missing in the debris in the aftermath of the collapse, prompting a recovery mission by GMP and Lancashire Police. The forces used a drone and search dog to scan the remains of the building. The individual was later found alive and well elsewhere.

The crush also caused a gas leak, which together with fears about the structure of neighbouring buildings led to the evacuation of the entire street.

Coun Ghafoor shared he was ‘extremely relieved’ no one was hurt in the collapse, and claims the company has ‘acted responsibly at all times, following all appropriate rules, regulation, and safety procedures’.

The Health and Safety Executive, a government body, is currently investigating the cause of the collapse.