33-year-old security guard killed, 7 hurt in Bhiwandi godown collapse
BHIWANDI: A 33-year-old security guard died, while seven workers were injured after a portion of a ground-plus-one storey godown collapsed at Harihar compound in Dapode village, located on Bhiwandi’s Mankoli Road, on Monday around 10am.
The 15-year-old godown belonged to an online goods delivery firm. There were 31 workers present at the godown when the incident took place. As soon as the portion of the first floor collapsed, 23 workers managed to escape, while eight others were trapped under the debris. The security guard, Saurabh Tripathi, died on the spot, as the slab fell on his head, while seven others who were rescued from under the debris are undergoing treatment.
Soon after the collapse, Bhiwandi police, Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) fire brigade team, ambulances, Thane civic body fire brigade, Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) and National Disaster Management personnel reached the spot. The rescue operations were called off around 5pm. Canine search was also conducted at the collapse site to ensure no one was trapped under the debris.
Some workers claimed that construction was being carried out recently on top of the existing godown, exactly at the portion which had collapsed. According to them, the new construction led to the collapse. Nitesh Marathe, 30, who works at the dispatch section of the godown, said, “There is a construction happening exactly above the portion of the godown which collapsed.”
“The godown was built in 2006 and the permission for its construction was acquired from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). We will ask the MMRDA to carry out an audit of all the structures nearby as this godown is not very old,” said Aadik Patil, tahsildar, Bhiwandi.
An MMRDA official said,” The godown was built before the MMRDA was appointed as the planning authority of the village. We’ll check the details and accordingly act further.”