MUMBAI: Amid an overnight rescue operation marked by grief and frantic searches, rescuers on Friday recovered bodies of 10 people from the debris of a collapsed four-storey building in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi.
The incident occurred around 11.30 pm on Thursday when a portion of the Kohinoor Building in Thane district, collapsed. Officials said the structure had already been declared "dangerous" by civic authorities, and repair work was underway at the time of the incident.
Thane collector Shrikrishna Panchal said that the cause of this building collapse is yet to be ascertained; however, illegal additions and alterations were carried out without permission of the local civic body, which damaged the structure of the building and weakened its stability.
He said this building was declared as C-1 category as beyond repair. “We are identifying the owner and contractor of the building to fix the accountability and take legal action. The main pillar repair work in this building was carried out without permission of the local body,” Panchal said.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force, the fire brigade and other agencies continued rescue efforts through the morning, using heavy machinery, sniffer dogs and specialised equipment to search for survivors trapped under the concrete.
The deceased people are identified as Shamim Shaikh (32), Radhe Shyam (45), Shiraj Rasool Shaikh (34), Ranjit Singh (45), Miraj Rasul Shaikh (34), Santosh Kumar Pandey (40), Rakesh Paswan (25), Shamim Ansari (30), Mukesh Paswan (35) and Ashok Paswan (45). The 10th victim, whose body was retrieved from the rubble, has been taken to Indira Gandhi Hospital for a postmortem.
According to preliminary information, the structure collapsed suddenly, trapping several people under the debris. The portion of the building’s ‘B’ wing collapsed between 11 pm and 11.30 pm; residents said they heard a ‘cracking’ sound. Then, sensing danger, they immediately began evacuating families, and that timely action helped many escape, though many more were still caught inside.
The Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation stated that this building was declared unsafe for habitation, and nearly 25 families had been evacuated by the local ward officer as a preemptive measure.
It stated that on the ground floor, some families refused to vacate and decided to stay back despite the danger warning and possible collapse.
Bhiwandi Mayor Narayan Chowdhari urged residents living in unsafe structures to vacate immediately.
“There are at least 130 to 140 ‘most dangerous’ buildings in Bhiwandi right now that need to be evacuated at once. I urge residents to please come out to save their lives,” he said, adding that schools and community halls had been opened as temporary shelters for affected families.
