MUMBAI : A decrepit building about 100 years old collapsed Tuesday in south Mumbai's congested Dongri locality, killing at least 11 people and trapping more than 40 people under the debris, once again exposing the creaking infrastructure of India's largest city, PTI reported.
The four-storey residential building, in a maze of byzantine lanes and houses clustered closely together, came down shortly before noon, civic officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force said six men, four women and a child were killed while eight were injured.
Latest updates on Mumbai building collapse:
-Congress leader Milind Deora on Tuesday termed the building collapse in Dongri "unfortunate" and urged citizens to question the government as to why such incidents keep happening year after year.
-PM Narendra Modi's statement: "Collapse of a building in Mumbai’s Dongri is anguishing. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I hope the injured recover soon. Maharashtra Government, NDRF and local authorities are working on rescue operations & assisting those in need".
-SN Pradhan, DG, National Disaster Response Force, said three teams of NDRF are engaged in rescue operations. "The pathway to the collapsed building is very narrow and the vehicles with rescue equipment are unable to reach there. The team is carrying equipment on foot," he said.
-The name of the ill-fated Kesarbai Building, which crashed on Tuesday killing at least two persons, is mysteriously omitted from a comprehensive list of 499 "dangerous" buildings prepared by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said a RTI activist.
-ANI reported that the 11 Ismail Habib building, situated in front of the 'Kesarbai' building, is also being evacuated as it was seen shaking.
-Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said compensation for the victims of the incident will be announced once the causes behind the collapse are clear.
-Vinod Ghosalkar, chief of the repair board of MHADA, said the building did not belong to the housing body as mentioned by a few locals and Congress legislator Bhai Jagtap.
-According to preliminary information, the building is over 100 years old.
-Mumbai mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said he has asked the municipal commissioner to launch a probe in the incident.
-Around 10-15 families used to live in the building.
-Maharashtra housing minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said at least 12 people were killed in the building collapse.
-At least seven people have so far been injured in the incident.
-Way back in August 2017, BMC had issued a letter stating that the building which collapsed today is classified as 'C1' and should be evacuated for demolition at the earliest. "In event of any mishap this office won't be responsible," it had said.
-Locals said they were aiding rescue efforts and that those injured were being carried by hand to nearby ambulances that were unable to access the site due to narrow and crowded access.
-Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an investigation into the building collapse.
-Mumbai Police statement on building collapse:
"In an unfortunate incident, a G+4 Building collapsed in Dongri. Humble request to citizens to stay away from the incident spot to facilitate effective rescue operations by authorities. A green corridor has been provided for all emergency services and rescue operations."
-Rescue operations have been hampered by narrow approach roads, huge crowds and thickly populated areas.
-A woman, two men and a child have been rescued so far from Dongri. They are being treated at various hospitals in Mumbai.
-All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Waris Pathan said the building was a death trap, with authorities saying they had no money to rebuild the structure.
-A fire departmemt official said the families living in the building were asked to vacate it some time ago but they continued to live there.
-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said 15 families are still trapped after the Dongri building collapse. "As per the initial information I have received, around 15 families are feared trapped in the collapse. The building is around 100 years old. The entire focus is on rescuing the people trapped. Investigation will be done," he said.
-A Reuters report said at least four people have been killed in the incident and another 30 are still trapped under the debris.
-NDRF said they have deployed three teams in Dongri for rescue operation.
-BMC statement:
"In an extremely unfortunate incident, the Kesarbai bldng in Dongri collapsed at 11.40 am. According to preliminary information, 40 to 50 people are most likely trapped in the debris. /2 3 teams of NDRF, fire brigade, our disaster management team as well as all senior officials of MCGM are on the site. Rescue work is in progress & we request citizens to cooperate with the authorities."
-An eyewitness said the building collapse felt like a quake.
-Today's incident was the second such collapse around Mumbai in less than ten days. Torrential rains that lash the city during the monsoon often destabilize older or badly constructed structures, leading to multiple building collapses over the years.
-Maharashtra housing minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said his government's priority was to save lives of the people trapped under the collapsed building's debris.
-MHADA Chairman Uday Samant said IF THE developer has delayed re-development of the collapsed building, then he will face action.
-Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) said it had given the building that collapsed in Mumbai to a private builder for re-development.
-MLA Bhai Jagtap said residents had been complaining to MHADA since a long time to repair the building as it was very old and in a dilapidated state.
-Mumbadevi MLA Amin Patel said assuming that 10 to 12 families are still under the debris.
-At least three persons have been rescued in an injured condition from the site.
-Besides flats, the building also housed a catering business on the ground floor.
-The Kesarbai building is owned by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
-PTI reported that ambulances could not reach the spot and had to be parked around 50 metres away.
-Television visuals showed a young child being rescued and handed over to workers.
-After the collapse, a part of the building was left standing.
-BMC PRO said the civic body has opened a shelter at Imamwada Municipal Secondary Girls' School, after the building collapsed in Dongri.
-Adjacent buildings are in very dangerous condition and are vacated.
-Television images showed people forming a human chain to remove the rubble using their hands.
-Since the building was located in a narrow lane in a congested area, fire fighters could not send earth-moving machines to the spot.
-A fire official told AP that they have pulled out three people and rushed them to a hospital. He didn't know whether they were dead or alive.
-Fire brigade officials said they have sent five tenders to the spot for rescue operations.
