Battered by heavy rains, a five-storey building collapsed in Mahad, Raigad district, on Monday evening, with about 80 people feared trapped under the debris. So far, one body has been recovered and 17 people rescued by teams comprising the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, revenue, Mahad civic body personnel. Police from Mahad, Shrivardhan and Mangaon divisions of Raigad too have rushed to the spot.
The ‘Tariq Garden’ building, just 10 years old, with 48 units and housing 200-225 people, collapsed around 6pm. Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, ‘‘Praying for everyone’s safety’’. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Shiv Sena legislator Bharat Gogawale and Raigad District Collector Nidhi Chaudhary to inquire about the collapse. He assured all possible support for speedy rescue and relief.
The guardian minister of Raigad district, Aditi Tatkare, who has reached the spot, told The Free Press Journal, ‘‘The building had two wings, A and B. Most of the people from B-wing came out but several from the A-wing were trapped. Three teams of the NDRF have reached the site and a rescue operation is underway in full swing. Around 17 people have been rescued and treated in local hospitals but about 70 to 80 people are still feared trapped under the debris. So far, one fatality has been reported.’’ She said an inquiry would be initiated to determine the reason for the collapse but the current priority was rescue and relief operations.
Raigad district collector Nidhi Chaudhary said a few people had rushed outside the building to a safe spot, after the first three floors collapsed. “Initially, the top three floors of the building collapsed when some people came out. The injured have been sent to government hospital,” she said.
Congress leader and former legislator Manikrao Jagtap said rescue teams were making all efforts to rescue those trapped under the debris manually, as opposed to using poclain machines. "If the poclain machine is deployed, it will become difficult to reach out to those still trapped. So, a manual rescue operation is being carried out,’’ he added.
One killed and four others in building crash at Nagpur
One person was killed and four others were injured when a nearly 50-year-old dilapidated house collapsed in Maharashtra's Nagpur city early Monday morning, a civic official said.
The ground-plus-one-storey house, located at Azad Chowk in Sadar, collapsed around 4.40 am, Nagpur Municipal Corporation's chief fire officer Rajendra Uchke said. Various fire teams from the city rushed to the spot.
Five people were pulled out from the debris and rushed to hospital. A 43-year-old man among them was declared brought dead, the official said. The four others, including a senior citizen, received injuries and they were undergoing treatment in hospital, he added.
