5 story building collapses in Mumbai, leaving 7 dead, about 30 trapped
A five-story residential building in Bhendi Bazar area of south Mumbai collapsed on Thursday,at 8:30 am killing at least seven people and injuring 15 others reports said.
Three people were pulled out alive from the collapsed building, 30 are feared to be trapped. Fire brigade officials said about nine families lived in the dilapidated building. It is also said that the building housed a play school, but no children had arrived yet. The building also had six godowns.
"The exact number of trapped people cannot be stated immediately," Manoj Sharma, a deputy commissioner of police, said. Fire brigade officials said about 30 others are believed to be under the rubble.
The disaster management cell of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) received a call about the collapse at 8.40 am."We immediately rushed fire brigade personnel to the site to rescue the trapped people," a senior MCGM official said.
Cranes and bulldozers have been deployed to scoop up the debris. Residents helped with bare hands.
"Our priority is to pull out at the earliest those trapped under the rubble of the dilapidated building," said Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai, who is also the guardian minister for Mumbai.
"Once the rescue work gets over, the government will conduct a probe to ascertain the factors behind the building collapse. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty," he told reporters.
-PTC News
