19 killed after part of 4-storey building collapses in Mumbai
MUMBAI: At least 19 people were killed and several others were injured after a portion of a fourstorey building collapsed in Kurla (east) area of Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Tuesday.
While at least 14 people have been rescued so far, search operations are underway as more people are believed to be buried under the debris, they added.
A portion of ‘D wing’ of a building in Naik Nagar Society collapsed at around 11.52 pm on Monday. A team of Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) and National Disaster Response Force immediately rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation, the BMC said in a statement.
The occupants of the building were mainly tenants working as daily wage labourers and security guards. The injured were rushed to hospitals in Sion and Rajawadi, the civic body added. While 10 people have been discharged, four persons continue to receive treatment in the hospital.
According to BMC officials, the civic body had declared the building ‘dilapidated’ in 2013. The residents, however, carried out a structural audit after the local ward office disconnected electricity and water connections in 2015. The report claimed the building was in a “repairable” state, the officials said.
“We will have to recheck the structural auditor’s report which said the building could be repaired. In case of private buildings, the BMC allows societies to conduct an audit by any empaneled auditor to avoid allegations that the civic body has purposefully declared a building dilapidated,” BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, who visited the spot, said. A detailed investigation will be carried out and the audit report will also be assessed, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh each from the chief minister’s relief fund to the next of kin of the deceased.