8 kids among 11 die as building falls; 9 victims from one family
Eleven people, including eight children, were killed when a threestorey apartment building collapsed on another structure at a slum in Mumbai’s Malad area late Wednesday night. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered against the building’s owner.
The BMC’s disaster management cell said that the incident was reported at around 11.10 pm from the New Collector compound slum on Abdul Hamid Road in Malad. The slum pocket has come up on Collector’s land and the height of the ill-fated structure was extended illegally. There are a few more dilapidated structures that are waiting for disaster to happen.
BMC deputy municipal commissioner Prabhat
Rahangdale said: “Three persons are still
suspected to be trapped and a search operation is on to find them.” Locals started removing the debris and rescuing people promptly after the incident. Officials of the Malwani police and the fire brigade reached the spot and started rescue operations.
The Malwani police has registered an FIR for culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Rafique Siddiqui, the owner of the structure. Rafique’s brother
Shafique was staying on the third floor of this structure with his family. Shafique, his wife and the wife of owner Rafique, along with six children of this family, lost their lives in the incident. Rafique was saved as he had gone out of the house.
The disaster management cell said there were around nine other small incidents in the city Wednesday, in which parts of houses and buildings collapsed. During the rescue operation, the
BMC also had to evacuate people from a nearby ground-plus-three structure, as it was in a highly dilapidated condition. A singlestorey structure next to this house was destroyed while around three more houses have been damaged due to the collapse of this structure. Some people had a miraculous escape in the incident.
The Maharashtra government has announced `5 lakhs compensation for the families of the deceased. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi directed the grant of `2 lakhs as compensation for the families of the victims.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray went to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali to meet the injured people, while Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar and state minister Aslam Shaikh visited the spot.
The BJP alleged that the callousness of the Shiv Sena-ruled BMC had led to the incident. “These were planned murders. Illegal structures were allowed to come up on public land. The BMC’s negligence is responsible for this,” BJP MLA Ram Kadam said.
Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh said the building collapsed because of the heavy rains the city has been facing for the last two days.
The India Meteorological Department has, meanwhile, issued a warning about heavy to very heavy rains in Mumbai in the next few days.