Mumbai: 24 cars, bikes end up in pit as Chembur road caves in

No injuries were reported due to the cave-in. Pic/Atul Kamble

Around 24 vehicles were damaged and trapped in a 25-foot-deep crater after a section of the road at a construction site in Rahul Nagar, near the Eastern Express Highway in Chembur, caved in on Wednesday morning. The Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) issued a stop work notice for the construction site following the incident which occurred around 9 am.

While no injuries were reported, due to the cave-in, fire brigade officials have evacuated the area as a precautionary measure. The 24 vehicles damaged included four to five cars while the rest were two-wheelers. "It was a type of landslide. There was already a deep pit at the location and a side of the road collapsed into it," said newly-appointed Mumbai Fire Brigade chief Ravindra Ambulgekar.

Rescue teams continued searching for victims till late noon but found none. Simultaneously, the vehicles that fell in were taken out. "This is the only landslide call reported today," Ambulgekar said.

This is the second such incident within 10 days. Pic/Atul Kamble

Though the incident took place close to a construction site, Ambulgekar asserted that it appeared to be a natural phenomenon. "Heavy rainfall can lead to loosening of the soil due to which such incidents can occur," he said. However, officials will be investigating the method of piling works implemented by
the builder.

"The shore piling was broken due to load mud, which caused a landslide during the construction of the three-level basement. This is the approach road to a college and there are no other buildings or structures around," said Dhanaji Hirlekar, assistant municipal commissioner, L ward.

According to a BMC official, this was an SRA project and officials from the agency who were present at the spot issued a notice to stop the construction work.
Meanwhile, this is the second such incident in the last 10 days. A landslide occurred near the newly-built Magathane Metro station in Borivali on June 28, which also damaged a drainage line. However, the backfilling work has still not been completed. Although it may be completed in the next few days, the remedial work will take a few months and the road and northern access staircase to the Metro station will remain closed. The BMC has directed the owner to immediately restore/reconstruct the damaged portion of the road, stormwater drain, staircase of the Metro station and allied structures, along with any other damages that occurred.

(With inputs by Prajakta Kasale & Sameer Surve)

24
No. of vehicles damaged due to the incident