Mumbai: 5-storey structure that collapsed in Bandra was illegal, says local corporator

The five-storey structure that collapsed on Wednesday at Behram Nagar, Bandra (East) where nine people were rescued from under the debris, is an illegal structure standing there for over 20 years, said local Shiv Sena corporator Haji Halim Khan. The incident happened at Behram Nagar near Raza Masjid in Bandra East around 3.55 pm on Wednesday.

According to BMC's Disaster Management Unit (DMU), one of the injured, identified as Fakare Alam Mohd Ismail Shah, is said to be in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment at Bandra Bhabha Hospital, while the condition of eight others is stable now.

Elaborating on the incident and about the ill-fated structure, Khan said, “The structure which collapsed on Wednesday was a 20-year-old illegal structure of ground+ four floors which was undergoing repair work during which the structure collapsed and injured nine people who were safely rescued by the fire brigade from under the debris. There are two fire brigade trucks still on stand by at the site even today as the debris is still being cleared.”

On the day of the incident, four rescued people were rushed to V N Desai and Bandra Bhabha hospitals respectively. Out of the nine who were rescued, eight are stable while one, an 18-year-old male, is said to be critical.

There were two fire brigade trucks and two ambulances present at the site on Thursday afternoon. A firefighter present at the site said, “We have successfully evacuated everyone yesterday and today we are clearing the debris. We have two ambulances ready in case of any emergency.”

A local resident of the area, Saba Khan told the Free Press Journal: “We heard a loud sound and rushed to see what happened. People were stuck under the debris, soon the fire brigade reached and rescued them. It was very scary," she said.

Published on: Thursday, January 27, 2022, 08:24 PM IST