Mumbai:Three killed were killed and 12 others suffered grieveous injuries as a five-story residential building collapsed in Bhendi Bazar area of south Mumbai on Thursday. The civic officials fear that over 25 people are still trapped under the rubble.
“Our disaster management cell received a call at 8.40 am about the collapse. We immediately rushed fire brigade personnel to the site to rescue the trapped people. We fear that several people are trapped under the debris,” a senior Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) official said.
He said the exact number of people staying in the building and those trapped cannot be confirmed immediately.
Search and rescue operations are underway with the help of local residents.
It is also not known whether the building was on the list of dangerous structures under the MCGM limits.
The incident occurred two days after the city received torrential rains, which is suspected to have damaged the building.
A Mumbai Police official said the area near the building has been cordoned off.
The fire department personnel and medical staff have reached the spot, he added.
This is the first major building collapse after Tuesday’s Mumbai deluge, and the second in five days after the Chandivali crash which claimed six lives.
In July, at least 17 persons, including an infant were killed when a residential building collapsed at eastern Mumbai’s Ghatkopar.
The police had arrested Shiva Sena leader Sunil Shitap for allegedly carrying out illegal alterations to the building causing it to collapse.
“There was a renovation work being carried out in the building. There was a nursing home, named Sitap Nursing Home, on the ground floor of the building which is owned by a man Sunil Shitap, who is a local Shiv Sena leader. A meeting of residents was also called last night opposing this renovation work,” said a resident.
The building had a nursing home on the ground floor, which was being renovated. Sources said that Shitap, who owned the nursing home, carried out illegal alterations. He was booked for culpable homicide along with other sections of the Indian Penal Code
A Mumbai Court had sent Sunil Shitap to police custody till August 2.
PTI