Eight dead in Maharashtra building collapse, four-year-old rescued; many still missing

Rescue workers search for survivors in the debris after a five-story building collapsed in Mahad in Raigad district in Maharashtra, August 25, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas

Mumbai: Rescuers sifting through the rubble of a five-storeyed building in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Tuesday found a four-year-old boy alive and his mother dead beneath the debris.

Death toll in the collapse reached eight with recovery of seven more bodies from the rubble on Tuesday, the police said. This includes a man died of cardiac arrest on Monday night after he was hit by a stone from the falling building.

The boy, Mohammed Nadim Bangi, looking bewildered after his night-long ordeal amid the rubble, was taken by NDRF personnel to a waiting ambulance.

A video shared by NDRF showed the rescuers taking out the boy from under the damaged structure of the building on a stretcher amid claps by onlookers.

NDRF Director General S N Pradhan termed the rescued boy as god's child.

"Miracle child rescued alive - Gods Child. @NDRFHQ teams find 4 year old Boy. Ops will continue, canines used. Lets all pray for more miracles," Pradhan tweeted.

The body of NaushinNadim Bangi, the child's mother, was recovered by NDRF personnel 20 minutes later.

So far eight persons have been rescued, while around 10 persons are still missing after the Tareq Garden building in Mahad town, around 170km from Mumbai, came down like a pack of cards on Monday evening, an official said.

The NDRF, police, locals, and dog squads are working relentlessly to rescue people trapped under the debris, he said, adding 13 heavy duty excavators and other vehicles were engaged in removing it.

Police on Tuesday registered an offence against five persons, including the builder and architect of Tareq Garden in connection with collapse, the official said.

The offence was registered against builder Farooq Kazi, RCC consultant Bahubali Dhamne, and architect Gaurav Shah under sections 304, 304A and 338 of the IPC, the official said.

Thane guardian minister Eknath Shinde reached Mahad in the wee hours on Tuesday following instructions from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, to oversee rescue and relief work, sources close to him said.

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