Two people were killed while five others were injured after a four-storey building collapsed in Shanti Nagar area of Bhiwandi in Thane district in the wee hours of Saturday, 24 August.
The five injured also include two fire officers. Several others are still feared trapped under the debris. According to PTI, the collapse took place at 1.30 am.
The tragedy could have been much worse had the families residing in the residential complex not been moved out in time after cracks were spotted in it late Friday night, an official told PTI.
“The building named 'Manahara', located at Pirani Pada in Shanti Nagar area, was very old and dilapidated. On Friday night, some residents noticed cracks in the structure, following which evacuation process was initiated post midnight,” chief of Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Santosh Kadam told PTI.
“However, even after the evacuation, some residents returned to the building, after which it collapsed around 1.30 am. Two persons died in the crash and their bodies were recovered from the debris,” he added.
“We had received a message that column of the building might dismantle.Our emergency team reached here and after examination,they found that the building might collapse. We vacated the entire building but some people entered the building without permission. It was then the building collapsed,” Ashok Rankhamb, Commissioner of Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation told ANI.
“It's an 8-year-old building and was built illegally. Investigation will be done,” he added.
The deceased were identified as Shiraz Ansari (26) and Mohammad Akib Shaikh (27), PTI reported.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) and the fire brigade are currently at the site.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)