Seven persons, including three children were killed and many others suffered injuries after a landslide struck Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on Wednesday following heavy rain, civic officials said.
The landslide was reported at Gaushiya Chawl (row tenement) in the Ashok Nagar locality of Chirag Nagar at 3.48 am, they said.
A portion of soil and debris from the hillside collapsed onto two to three houses, causing casualties and damage, they said.
Seven persons were declared brought dead at the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, they said.
The deceased have been identified as Mohammad Samir Ansari (14), Sahil Husen Abdul Kazi (19), an unidentified person aged around 45, Aban Arif Shaikh (2), Manat Arif Shaikh (4) and Marjina Arif Shaikh (27), and Viket Ramesh Yadav (27), a civic official said.
Three injured persons -- Farana Dilber Khan (28), Dilber Amnulla Khan (38) and Shamin Muslim Khan (26) -- were admitted to Rajawadi Hospital, where their condition was reported to be stable, the official said.
Four other injured persons, identified as Sohel Ansari (18), Mohammad Ansari (14), Naimuddhin Eqbal Khan (28) and Sajid Ansari (16), were admitted to the civic-run Bhabha Hospital in Kurla. Their condition is also stable.
The rescue operation is challenging as the route to the affected area is extremely narrow, allowing only one person to pass through at a time and making it difficult to deploy heavy machinery, according to officials.
Search and rescue operations were underway, with teams of the fire brigade, police, NDRF, ambulance service and civic ward staff deployed at the site.
Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde visited the spot to supervise the rescue operation. She also met the affected families and offered them support.
The mayor announced immediate financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 towards the medical treatment of each injured person.
She directed the agencies involved in the rescue operation to intensify their efforts and maintain coordination.
The administration was closely monitoring the situation and the ongoing rescue operation.
The BMC said it regularly alerts residents and advises them to vacate and relocate from vulnerable areas prone to landslides or rockfalls. Notices are also issued as part of pre-monsoon precautionary measures.
The civic administration had similarly issued warnings and conducted awareness drives for residents in the area around Tekdi No. 3 in Ashok Nagar in Ghatkopar, regarding the risk of landslides, it said.
(With inputs from PTI)
