Bhiwandi building collapse death toll rises to 41
1 min read . Updated: 24 Sep 2020, 08:16 AM IST
PremiumThe three-storey building collapsed around 3:40 am on Monday in the Patel compound area in the Thane district
BHIWANDI : The death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse, which took place here on Monday, has risen to 41, the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) informed on Wednesday.
A total of 25 people have been rescued so far, the NRDF added.
The three-storey building collapsed around 3:40 am on Monday in the Patel compound area in the Thane district.
Soon after the incident, the NDRF, fire brigade, and police teams had reached the spot and carried out rescue operations.
Two civic officials have been suspended in connection with the collapse and an offence has been registered against the building owner, the official said.
The building in the powerloom town - which is around 10 km from Thane - had 40 flats and around 150 persons lived there, the official said.
The building, located at Narpoli's Patel Compound near Dhamankar Naka, collapsed while the residents were asleep.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and personnel of the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) are still at the spot as the search operation continues, he said.
The building was not in the list of dilapidated structures of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation, an official said.
The dead include 18 children in the age group of two to 15, including three toddlers, an official said. The bodies recovered from the debris were mutilated and highly decomposed as they had remained there for over 50 hours, he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
