Man dies in building collapse at Kalbadevi in Mumbai

Victim was talking on phone near the structure that had developed big cracks few hours ago; building had not received any evacuation notice from MHADA

A passer-by died after a four-storey building crashed at Kalbadevi on Sunday night. Parts of the 80-year-old structure had begun disintegrating in the evening, prompting the fire brigade and police to evacuate it.

Around 5.30 pm, the fire brigade received a call about the shaky building number 5 on Dadi Seth Agyari Lane at Khanderao Wadi. “One side of the bathroom on the fourth floor had collapsed. Cracks had developed on the walls. Fearing for their lives, the residents called the fire brigade,” said a local resident.

The MHADA building had several commercial units and many workers from West Bengal used to work and live there. A fire official said they reached the spot after the call and evacuated all the occupants. Eyewitnesses said the authorities evacuated over 50 people from inside and neighbouring buildings.

Akash Purohit, local corporator, told mid-day, “There was no one inside after the fire brigade and police the building and put up barricades. At night, a senior citizen from a neighbouring building was talking on the phone near the spot. Suddenly, the whole structure came crashing down at 9.30 pm and the debris hit him. He was admitted to GT hospital but succumbed to his injuries after two hours.”

The corporator said the building looked safe. “The building had not received any evacuation notice from MHADA. It seemed to be in a good condition. But there is another building, number 11, in the neighbourhood which is in dilapidated condition and if it collapses it will block the entrance/exit of other buildings. People requested MHADA to vacate that building, too.”  

MHADA says

“After getting a call we immediately evacuated the building. The building is 80 years old. All the buildings in the area are old but this building wasn’t on this year’s list of most dilapidated structures,” said a MHADA official, though the housing body hasn’t issued any statement on the incident.

80
Age of the building that crashed in Kalbadevi

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