3 killed, 11 injured in Mumbai residential building collapse
Three people were killed and 11 others were injured when a wing of a four-story residential building collapsed in Mumbai's Kurla suburb around midnight, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control said on Tuesday. The entire wing of the ground-plus-three floor Naik Nagar Building collapsed trapping many. Seven fire trucks, two rescue vans, and ambulances for rescue and relief operations were pressed into action.
The body of a man in his 30s was reportedly recovered from the debris. All the 11 injured were also adult males and were rushed to hospitals in Ghatkopar and Sion. The Indian Express quoted Corporator Pravina Morajkar as saying the colony housed four dilapidated buildings. The residents were served an eviction notice five to six years ago. However, the residents continued to stay.
The BMC said there could be more people trapped under the rubble and work is underway to clear the debris. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Fire Brigade rescue team and other agencies, including local volunteers, also noticed a potential risk to the adjoining second wing, which could also crash anytime. Morajkar said that the remaining tenants will be shifted out of the three buildings by Tuesday.
Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray visited the site on Monday night. Whenever BMC issues notices, (buildings) should be vacated...otherwise, such incidents happen, which is unfortunate... It's now important to take action on this," Thackeray told ANI. "Our priority is to rescue everyone... In the morning we'll look into evacuation and demolition of these buildings so those nearby aren't troubled," he added.
