At least 10 people were killed and three injured when a four-storey residential building that had been declared "dangerous" in 2020 and was undergoing illegal repairs collapsed in Bhiwandi town in Thane district, officials said Friday, as rescue teams searched for three more residents believed trapped under the rubble.
A portion of the Kohinoor Building in the Balaji Nagar area of Bhiwandi, about 50 kilometres from Mumbai, came down at 11:20 p.m. Thursday. Rescue workers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) and the municipal fire brigade recovered ten bodies, with heavy machinery and sniffer dogs deployed to search for survivors, according to officials of the district disaster management cell.
The 48-room structure, with 12 rooms on each of its four floors, began emitting "loud cracking sounds" around 9 p.m. Thursday, an official said. Locals helped evacuate several families, but the building's 'B' wing caved in while some residents were still exiting, the official said.
Five of the dead were identified as Shamim Shaikh, 32; Ranjeet Singh, 45; Miraj Rasul Shaikh, 34; Santosh Kumar Pandey, 42; and Shamim Ansari, 30, officials said.
The Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) said in a statement that it had first identified the building as "dangerous" on September 7, 2020, ordering the owners to submit a structural audit report, and issued a reminder notice on April 22, 2022. After continued non-compliance, the civic body issued eviction notices on June 5, 2026, and disconnected electricity and water supply, evacuating resident families, the statement said. Despite this, the property owners illegally began structural repair work, according to the BNCMC.
A civic team led by an Assistant Municipal Commissioner had inspected the site on July 30 — hours before the collapse — and found structural instability, evacuating around 40 residents and labourers, the civic body said. The contractor and workers were told to halt repairs but refused, and some residents also declined to leave, it said.
The civic commissioner ordered punitive and criminal action against the contractor over the "illegal" repairs, according to the BNCMC.
Bhiwandi Mayor Narayan Chowdhari said there are 130 to 140 "most dangerous" buildings in the town that need immediate evacuation.
Maharashtra Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan visited the site to review the rescue operation and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
"I have briefed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the situation. Following directions from the CM, we are announcing a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident," Mahajan told reporters. He said hospital authorities had been instructed to provide free treatment to the injured, and that the district administration had been directed to make temporary arrangements for residents evacuated from buildings adjacent to the collapsed structure.
Fadnavis, in a statement issued in Mumbai, said he had instructed the Municipal Commissioner to register a case immediately and take strict action against those responsible.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the collapse occurred while the building was undergoing repair work.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives. In a post on X in Hindi, Murmu said the deaths in the building collapse were extremely sad, and that she prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.
Modi, in a post on X, said he was pained to learn of the collapse and that his thoughts were with the bereaved families. He announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of those who died and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
A multi-agency rescue operation involving the NDRF, TDRF and local fire brigade was launched after the collapse, with a dog squad, four fire engines, two ambulances and heavy earth-moving machinery deployed at the site. Excavators cleared concrete debris as NDRF personnel crawled through narrow gaps in the rubble searching for survivors, while residents and locals looked on in grief.
One survivor said she remained trapped under debris for hours while hearing her parents call her name nearby. "I too was screaming at the top of my voice, but the debris swallowed my cries. My voice couldn't reach them. I remained buried in that cold marsh for agonising hours before the rescue team pulled me out alive," she said, adding that residents had repeatedly warned against the manner in which repairs were being carried out.
Another woman said a neighbour's split-second decision to shelter her family saved their lives when their second-floor home began to crack. "We have lost everything — our home, our belongings. Our entire lives are gone," she said.
(With PTI inputs)