1 dead in Mumbra building collapse; builder, son held

MUMBAI: A man was killed while his wife escaped with injuries when a building collapsed in Mumbra early on Saturday.

Two residents were feared trapped in the debris even as rescue operations were on in full swing at the time of going to press.

The Mumbra police arrested builder Mohammed Akhil Shaikh, 63, and his son Shakeel Akhil Shaikh for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Two women Hameeda Banu Manjoor Khan and Farzana Ikbal Sayed will be arrested early on Sunday.

The accident took place on the ground plus five-floor building No 5 in Banno Complex, Jeevanbaugh. It is the third such structure to collapse in the area in the past six months. Samira Quazi, 25, was rescued from the debris six hours after the crash. However, her husband Hanif Quazi, 30, did not survive.

The building, which had developed cracks and was supposed to be repaired in a few days, collapsed in minutes. However, hundreds of lives were saved thanks to two alert residents.

Mohammed Aslam said: “My eight-year-old daughter Asma noticed cracks on the pillar in the living room around 7am. Watching with horror the pillar slowly coming down, I immediately alerted a friend on the fourth floor. Together, we alerted residents on all floors. Most of the residents were evacuated and within half an hour, the entire building collapsed.”