Mumbai: Death Toll In Bhiwandi Building Collapse Incident Rises to 37, Rescue Operation Going On

Mumbai: The death toll due to the collapse of a three-storey building in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra has risen to 37 on Wednesday after the bodies of 12 more people were recovered. Police said 15 children were among the dead, ranging in age from two to 15 years. The official said that 25 people have been rescued from the debris so far. These people have been admitted to hospitals in Bhiwandi and Thane.

The official said that despite heavy rains, the search operation continued overnight. Disaster Management Cell has claimed that the rescue operation will be completed by this evening. Even now at least ten people are feared trapped in the debris. According to an official, dead bodies carried out from the debris were in a very bad condition, as they were buried in it for more than 50 hours. An official of Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) said on Tuesday that the dead included 2 small children, 7 minors, 8 men and 5 women. Meanwhile, 25 people have so far been rescued from the rubble of this 4 decade old ‘Jilani building’ of Patel compound. The building collapsed at around 3.45 am on Monday.

As it was early morning when the incident occurred, all people were asleep, hence a large number of people have been evacuated from the wreckage. For this, the local rescue team and NDRF as well as the Dog Squad searched for more than 4 dozen people, of whom at least 10 people have been hospitalized.

BNMC has suspended two officers Sudham Jadhav and Dudhnath Yadav late on Monday night, while Narpoli police has registered a case against builder Syed Ahmed Jilani and others in this case.  At the same time, 102 more buildings in this minority-dominated township have been declared ‘dangerous’ and evacuated as a precaution.

This is the second major accident in less than a month in the Mumbai metropolitan area. Earlier, on August 24, 16 people were killed when a building collapsed in Mahad city of Raigarh.

Maharashtra Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Vadettiwar said that the issue of unauthorized and dilapidated buildings in Bhiwandi is very serious. This will be discussed in the state cabinet. The Minister visited the spot on Tuesday. He said that decision would be taken on approving additional FSI and other measures for rehabilitation of affected persons. Action will be taken against those responsible for the incident.