Maharashra building collapse: 3 dead, man rescued after 18 hours

Thane: 18 hours after a two-storey building collapsed in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district claiming three lives, a 38-year-old man was rescued on Sunday morning, officials said.

Nine persons were still feared trapped under the debris of the structure which collapsed at 1.45 pm on Saturday at Wardhaman Compound in Valpada area, they said, adding that search and rescue operations were on.

One person, named Sunil Pisa (38), was rescued at around 8 am on Sunday from the debris and rushed to the IGM Hospital in Bhiwandi, Narpoli police station's senior inspector Madan Ballal said.

With this, the number of those injured in the incident has gone up to 12.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the incident as "most unfortunate" and visited the collapse site as well as the injured persons undergoing treatment in Bhiwandi's IGM Hospital late Saturday night.

Bhiwandi Deputy Commissioner of Police Navnath Dhavle told PTI that offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code have been registered against the structure owner, Indrapal Patil.

No arrest has been made so far, he added.

The building had godowns on the ground and first floors, while four families occupied the upper floor. Some workers were present on the ground floor when the structure collapsed, Thane Municipal Corporation's Regional Disaster Management Cell chief Avinash Sawant said.

A container and two tempos which had come to the godown for loading/unloading were also crushed.

Sawant said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were carrying out the search and rescue operations.

The building was about 10 years old and possibly could not take the load of a mobile tower recently installed on top of it, according to a civic official.

CM Shinde told reporters that he has instructed Thane Collector Ashok Shingare and other authorities to immediately carry out a survey of the structures declared 'most dangerous' in the district.

He also directed the officials to immediately shift the people occupying such buildings to safer places as the monsoon was just around the corner.

Shinde said cluster development was the only solution to the problems arising on account of the dangerous buildings.

At the IGM Hospital, CM Shinde enquired about the condition of the injured persons, including two minor brothers, Prem Ravikumar Mahanto (7) and Prince Ravikumar Mahanto (5), who lost their mother Lalita Devi (26) in the incident.

He consoled the two siblings and told them "we are here with you."

Shinde has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, while medical expenses of the injured would be borne by the state government.

The Narpoli police were conducting a probe into the incident, an official from the Bhiwandi control room said.

(With inputs from PTI)