Death toll rises to 37 in Bhiwandi building collapse incident: NDRF

MUMBAI: The death toll in the site which took place here on Monday rose to 37 on Wednesday, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) informed.

The deceased include Jhuber Khureshi, Faija Khureshi, Ayesha Khureshi, Siraj Abdul Sheikh, Fatma Jubera, Siraj Ahmed Sheikh among others.

The three-story building collapsed around 3:40 am on Monday in the Patel compound area in the Thane district.

Soon after the incident, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire brigade, and police teams had reached the spot and carried out rescue operations.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condoled the loss of lives in the incident. 

The building was not in the list of dilapidated structures of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation.

Bhiwandi DCP Rajkumar Shinde said offences under sections 337,338,304 (2)of the IPC were being registered against the owner of building Sayyed Ahmed Jilani following a complaint by the civic officials after the collapse.

Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde said a probe would take place. He visited the site and announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each victim.

Shinde said 102 buildings are dangerous in Bhiwandi where evacuation has been already done.