Close shave for family after floor caves in at Mumbai building

MUMBAI: Three members of a family and their two relatives had a miraculous escape despite their living room floor on which they were sleeping caving in and they landed in the first floor flat in Mira Road on Saturday morning.
Two other members of the second floor flat at Jay Vijay Nagar in Chandresh Accord complex and their pet dog were sleeping in the bedroom. They were rescued by the fire personnel who placed a ladder from the first floor to bring them down the same route. They could not reach for the main door as the entire flooring had caved in.

The members of the first floor flat were also sleeping in their bedroom when the crash occurred at around 5.30am.
Manisha Mahadik (59), son Mukesh (32), grandson Siddharth (11) and their relatives Sheetal Bhuvad (42) and her daughter Anita (22) sustained minor injuries. They have been admitted to a nearby hospital as they were all in a state of shock. The flat number 202 belongs to Dayashankar Vishwakarma. He had rented it out to the Mahadik’s about a year ago.
While the 29-year-old building did not figure in the dilapidated structures list of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) , residents of the two-storey building told civic officers that Vishwakarma had changed the flooring of his flat a year ago, despite the housing society raising objections.
The Mahadik family went off to sleep at around 11 pm. They put their bedding on the floor and were fast asleep. When the cave in happened, they landed on the first floor with a bang. Residents of the building were woken up by the sound. The victims said they did not notice any sign of cracks in the flooring of their house.
The Agarwal family ran towards the living room and were shocked to find five persons in their living room. The Agarwal family had also raised objections to the flooring work carried out by Vishwakarma. The Agarwals too said they had not noticed any cracks in their ceiling.
The residents of all the 14 flats were evacuated in the morning. Residents were allowed to take their valuables. Residents complained of not having anywhere to go. The MBMC does not have transit camps.
Civic officials said a structural audit of the building will be carried out. Residents demanded that a police case be filed against Vishwakarma who had gone ahead with the flooring work despite warning.