Mumbai Rains: Death toll of Fort building crash climbs to six

Pictures/Bipin Kokate

After intense rains in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Thursday, the 80-year-old Bhanushali Building in south Mumbai collapsed and six people died. "The death toll climbed to six with at least five more bodies being pulled out from the debris during the night," the BMC Disaster Control said on Friday. The civic body also said that 18 others rescued have sustained injuries.

The deceased have been identified as Kusum P. Gupta (45), Jyotsna P. Gupta (50), Padmalal M. Gupta (51), Kiran D. Mishra (35), Maniben N Fariya (62) and a 50-year-old woman who remains unidentified.

Neha Gupta (45), who was rescued on Thursday night in undergoing treatment at Sir J. J. Hospital and is said to be in critical condition, while two others injured have been identified as Bhalchandra Kandu (48) and Shailesh Bhalchandra Kandu (17).

Rescue team members clear the debris of Bhanushali building that collapsed in Fort on Thursday.

The rescue operations continued as more people were feared trapped. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad, Mayor Kishori Pednekar, Municipal Commissioner I. S. Chahal, Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, and other senior officials rushed to the site to review the rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the victims of the tenement crash in Malad have been identified as Anjum S. Shaikh (23) and Faizal W. Sayyed (18). The 13 others rescued were taken to the nearby Hayat Hospital and were treated and discharged.

The site where the tenement collapsed in Malvani. Pictures/Satej Shinde

Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray, who visited the Malad crash site and took stock of the situation, announced a compensation of Rs 4,00,000 for the families of the deceased, while the injured's kin will get Rs 5,000 besides treatment.

Rescue operation underway after a tenement collapsed in Malvani on Thursday.

In both incidents, a total of eight persons have lost their lives so far, more than 30 are injured, and over a dozen evacuated to safety. "We will take strict action against the building owners if they are found violating the laws and book them for culpable homicide not amounting to murder," warned Mayor Pednekar.

(With Inputs from IANS and Prajakta Kasale)

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