14 May,2024 04:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
NDRF personnel at the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse site/ NDRF
An official from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) involved in the rescue operation at the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse site in Mumbai raised safety concerns, stating that gasoline-powered cutters cannot be used due to the presence of a petrol pump, which could result in a blast or fire. The collapse of an illegal 100-foot-tall billboard at a gas outlet in Ghatkopar on Monday killed 14 people and injured 74 others during dust storms and unseasonal rains.
The search and rescue efforts in Ghatkopar hoarding collapse involve two NDRF teams, as well as the fire department, local emergency response teams, police, and dog squads, reported PTI.
According to the PTI report, Assistant Commandant Nikhil Mudholkar of the NDRF outlined the difficulties encountered by rescue crews, pointing out that while gasoline-powered and oxyfuel cutters are available, their use poses a considerable risk at the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse site.
Rescuers used 500-tonne cranes to lift the hoarding and open a path for trapped people to get out. 88 individuals were rescued, with 14 dead, 31 discharged from hospitals, and the remainder undergoing treatment, the report added.
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"The NDRF teams used two cranes weighing 500 tonnes each to pull up the hoarding from both sides and after creating a gap of about 3.5 to 4 feet, the rescuers crouched into the tiny space to look for people trapped underneath. The teams pulled out 88 people from under the fallen hoarding, and of these, 14 were declared dead, 31 injured persons were discharged from hospitals, and the remaining were undergoing treatment at various hospitals," Mudholkar told PTI.
The report further stated that during the search, three hoarding girders were taken down, revealing nine people trapped within vehicles. Unfortunately, they were pronounced dead before being admitted to the hospital.
Efforts are underway to remove two more girders with hydraulic cranes, enabling for additional search operations to ascertain whether other people are trapped.
BMC to demolish more illegal structures
Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced plans to remove three hoardings on the Government Railway Police (GRP) territory following the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse during a spell of dust storm and sudden rain in Mumbai on Monday.
The BMC plans to begin the removal procedure on Tuesday, to dismantle the hoardings placed on GRP land in Chheda Nagar, reported PTI.
According to officials, the BMC plans to destroy the remaining hoardings on the GRP site. The civic council had already served a notice on M/s Ego Media Private Limited, the firm responsible for the collapsed hoarding, and a case was filed against the company's owner, Bhavesh Bhinde, for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The hoardings, which run along the Eastern Express Highway linking Mumbai and Thane, are around 100-150 metres apart. While the BMC allows hoardings of up to 40x40 square feet, the illegal hoarding that collapsed was 120x120 square feet, the PTI report stated.
