Mumbai: A four-storeyed building collapsed in the overcrowded Kamathipura area near Grant Road Station in Mumbai on Saturday killing four people and injuring four others even as some were trapped under the debris.
A Fire Brigade official told Gulf News that the building came crashing down around 2pm and that rescue operations and clearing of the debris were still under way. “Four people died in the crash while four of the injured were admitted in JJ and Nair hospitals. According to information given by residents, two persons are still missing,” he said.
Eight fire engines and three ambulances were rushed to the spot for rescue operations.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed concern about the condition of dilapidated buildings that are spread across Mumbai and which need extensive repairs. He has called a meeting of senior officials to get a status report on dilapidated buildings in South Mumbai.
The old building came crashing down even as it was under repair by government authorities. It is a commercial building with a beer bar on the ground level and a factory on the top floors. The area, known for prostitutes operating here, was bustling with people and traffic when the building collapsed. Unauthorised changes were being carried out in the building and this may have caused the collapse, said a local Congress legislator, Amin Patel.
He blamed the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority as to why people were still occupying the building and businesses were going on when building was under repair.
