As much as 30 to 40 per cent part of the ground-plus-five storey Bhanushali Building on Mint Road collapsed in south Mumbai’s Fort area. (Express Photo)
Seven People were killed and at least 16 injured in two incidents of building collapse on a day of heavy rainfall in Mumbai on Thursday.
Portions of two buildings — a three-storey chawl in Malad’s Malvani and a six-storey MHADA building in Fort area — collapsed during the day.
The northern portion of Bhanushali Building, near Lucky House at Ganesh Chawl in Fort area, collapsed at 4.43 pm, leaving five dead and at least three injured.
Watch: A man rescued by fire brigade using ladder. He was trapped on third floor of Bhanushali building in Fort. Portion of building has collapsed on Thursday. Search & rescue operation is on by fire brigade. Video: Fire Brigade#Mumbai @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/z1a9L0JbFx
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Over a third of the building crumbled to the ground, officials said. With a huge amount debris, a team of the National Disaster Response Force was called in to assist the Mumbai Fire Brigade in the search and rescue operations.
Sachidanand Gawade, Deputy Commandant, NDRF 5th Battalion, said: “Five persons had been pulled out from the wreckage by 11 pm. The body of the fifth person, a woman, is yet to be identified.”
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray visited the site of the building collapse in Fort area.
BMC officials said the building was in a dilapidated condition and was vacated by some residents a few months ago for repair work. But some families had stayed back. Repair work was underway at the time of the collapse.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pedhnekar, who visited the site, said, “Strictest action should be taken against the owner/builder of this building. The building was declared dilapidated, even if the owner was not interested in reconstruction, the owner should have at least shifted the tenants/residents out of the dilapidated structure.”
In another incident, two persons died when a three-storey chawl in Malvani area of Malad collapsed at 2.38 pm. The debris damaged two neighbouring chawls. Thirteen residents of the neighbouring chawls were taken to a nearby hospital and discharged by evening.
Guardian Minister for Mumbai suburbs, Aaditya Thackeray, announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of the two deceased and an ex-gratia of Rs 5,000 each for those affected.