So far, we have recovered eight bodies from the debris, and there is a possibility that more bodies may still be trapped underneath.
A portion of a four-storey building in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra 's Thane district collapsed late Thursday night and trapped around 11 people under the debris.
By 4 pm on Friday, at least ten bodies were recovered by rescue teams and several others are feared trapped beneath the rubble.
Preliminary information suggests that residents heard loud cracking noises from the building between 8 pm and 9 pm.
Two ambulances and one JCB excavator have been deployed at the site as authorities continue efforts to locate and rescue those trapped under the debris.
Nitin Chavan, Fire Officer, Bhiwandi Fire Brigade, told HT, “According to local residents, six occupants of the building and five workers carrying out repair work were reported missing. So far, we have recovered eight bodies from the debris, and there is a possibility that more bodies may still be trapped underneath. Rescue operations are ongoing. The bodies have been sent to IGM hospital and the identification of the workers couldn’t be done not yet.”
Rescue ops are underway by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade.
A portion of a four-storey building in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra 's Thane district collapsed late Thursday night and trapped around 11 people under the debris. By 4 pm on Friday, at least ten bodies were recovered by rescue teams and several others are feared trapped beneath the rubble.
The four-storey Kohinoor Building in Balaji Nagar, Gangaram Wada, in Bhiwandi was previously declared dangerous by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), according to fire officials. Despite being classified as unsafe, repair work was underway when the incident occurred.
The building consisted of 48 rooms, with 12 rooms on each floor.
Preliminary information suggests that residents heard loud cracking noises from the building between 8 pm and 9 pm. Sensing danger, local residents helped evacuate several families from the premises. However, between 11 pm and 11:30 pm, while some occupants and workers were still inside and others were attempting to evacuate, a portion of the building's B Wing suddenly collapsed.
Officials believe several people may still be trapped beneath the rubble. Those initially reported missing include Shamji Pal (46), Santosh Pandey alias Munna (42), Miraj Sheikh (35), and several workers whose identities are yet to be confirmed.
Emergency teams, including personnel from the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade, NDRF, and Bhoiwada Police Station, rushed to the scene immediately after the collapse.
According to a statement issued by the Thane Collectorate, search and rescue operations are being carried out with the assistance of trained sniffer dogs. Two ambulances and one JCB excavator have been deployed at the site as authorities continue efforts to locate and rescue those trapped under the debris.
Rescue operations and other necessary administrative procedures are continuing. The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been officially determined.
Devendra Fadnavis calls incident ‘unfortuate’ Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed condolences over the incident, calling it "unfortunate," and said that action would be taken against the contractor.
He added that the government would provide assistance to those injured and admitted to the hospital.
“The incident that occurred in Bhiwandi is unfortunate. This building had already been declared dilapidated. Around 25 people had been evacuated from it. Despite that, the contractor continued the repair work, and some people remained inside, which led to this accident. We express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives," news agency PTI reported.
