India floods: Football coach dies saving 12-year-old girl from collapsing building

Babloo Martin succumbs to injuries on way to hospital

A football coach has died saving a 12-year-old girl from a collapsing building during extensive flooding in central India.

Babloo Martin, from the Satna district of Madhya Pradhesh, ran into a three-storey building as it started to collapse.

Mr Martin, 42, was well known locally for training under-privileged girls and boys in cricket and football.

Widespread flooding across India has caused the death of 30 people and displaced thousands.

The building in question became unstable after three days of heavy rain, according to NewsBits.

It had been allegedly built by the Madhya Pradhesh housing board and marked as dangerous by local authorities last year.

Despite this, people moved back into the building. As well as Mr Martin, a 70-year-old was also killed, beingindian reports.

After two hours, rescuers removed the sports coach from the partly-submerged rubble.

He succumbed to his injuries while en route to hospital in nearby Katni.

The chief minister of the Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has been criticised for being carried through ankle-deep water by policemen while visiting flood-affected areas.