A tragic building collapse in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district has claimed eight lives, while several people are feared stuck under the rubble. On Thursday night, a part of a four-storey residential building collapsed, and rescue efforts were launched by many emergency workers.
According to officials, the accident took place at 11:30 pm in Balaji Nagar area of Bhiwandi’s powerloom hub. The Kohinoor Building partially gave way after residents reported hearing loud cracking noises shortly before the collapse.
The city’s authority said the building contained 48 residential rooms, and 12 rooms on each floor. The municipality had previously declared the building to be unsafe and classified it as a dangerous building. Repair work was ongoing at the time of the incident, officials said.
Early on Thursday night, as strange cracking noises resonated through the building, residents knew something was wrong and immediately began helping neighbours evacuate. Several families were able to leave the building in time, but a piece of the building’s B-wing collapsed before all of them could, trapping many residents under the rubble.
The resident Deputy Collector Sandeep Mane said eight people died in the tragedy. The bodies have been transferred to a government hospital for post-mortem examination. Four to five people are still believed to be trapped, and search efforts are carried out without a break.
Among those who were rescued was an injured minor who was pulled from the rubble and taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention. The identities of those killed are still unknown, as efforts to inform their family members have not yet been completed.
A large-scale rescue operation was started immediately after the collapse. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), local fire brigade, police personnel and local officials are working together to search for survivors.
The rescue effort has been backed up by four fire engines, two ambulances, heavy earth-moving equipment and specialist dog teams in place to locate anyone still trapped beneath the debris. Rescuers are removing concrete slabs and twisted metal, while keeping the chance of further structural collapse small so that emergency workers wouldn’t be endangered.
The incident has once again raised concerns about older and structurally unsafe buildings in densely populated urban areas. The building had already been declared dangerous by the city, and residents had to remain in the premises, and safety measures had to be taken as repair work got going.
A very detailed structural analysis will be carried out to determine the exact cause of the collapse. It will also examine whether negligence, poor maintenance or failure to carry out evacuation orders contributed to the tragedy, officials said.
The rescue teams continue to work hard day in and day out to locate survivors in the rubble. The administration has assured residents that every necessary resource is being put to work in the rescue mission to complete the rescue operation and help families affected by the disaster.
The community is in mourning, while calls for stricter enforcement of building safety regulations have grown to prevent similar disasters in the future.
