The fire brigade officials on Friday said 33 people have died in the collapse of a 117-year-old building with residences, godowns and a play school in Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai. They said nine more bodies were recovered from the debris in the overnight search and rescue operations, reported The Hindu. The deceased include 24 men and nine women.
Many people are still feared to be trapped under debris. The rescue teams had a tough time cutting through solid iron beams that had supported the building.
Notably, the Maharashtra housing and area development authority issued notices in March and May 2011 clarifying that the building was dilapidated. On Thursday, chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis ordered a thorough probe into the case.
The Mumbai Police have filed a case of accidental death. “We will proceed with investigations keeping in mind that the building was quite old. However, we will also check for negligence,” deputy commissioner of police, Manoj Sharma (zone 1) told Hindustan Times.
There are possibilities that the heavy rain earlier this week has led to the building being weakened, thinks police. The six-storey building in Bhendi Bazar was around 117 years old. It collapsed on Thursday morning.
