8 dead as building collapses in Bhiwandi, rescuers search for survivors
Eight people died and four to five others are feared trapped after a portion of a four-storey residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi, a powerloom town in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said Friday, July 31.
The building's 'B' wing gave way around 11:30 pm Thursday, July 30, in the Balaji Nagar locality, officials said. Rescue teams worked through the night and into Friday morning to pull survivors from the debris.
Resident Deputy Collector Sandeep Mane said at least eight bodies have been recovered and sent to a government hospital for post-mortem examination, and that four to five people are still believed to be trapped under the rubble as search and rescue efforts continue.
An injured minor was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to a nearby hospital, Mane said.
According to municipal officials, the structure, known as Kohinoor Building, had 48 rooms spread across four floors, with 12 rooms on each floor. The civic body had previously declared the building unsafe, and repair work was under way on the premises at the time of the collapse, officials said.
An official said residents had heard loud cracking sounds coming from the structure around 9 pm Thursday, roughly two and a half hours before the collapse. Alarmed by the sounds, neighbours moved swiftly to evacuate several families from the building. However, the official said, a section of the structure came down while some residents were still in the process of getting out.
A multi-agency rescue operation involving the National Disaster Response Force, the Thane Disaster Response Force and the local fire brigade is currently underway at the site, officials said. A canine search unit, four fire engines, two ambulances and heavy earth-moving equipment have also been deployed to assist in the operation.
Officials said the Bhiwandi collapse takes the monsoon season's toll in Thane district to at least 27 deaths, with 20 people injured in rain-related incidents so far this season.
(Inputs from PTI)
