A portion of a four-storey building in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra’s Thane district collapsed late Thursday night and trapped around 11 people under the debris. By 9am on Friday, at least eight bodies were recovered by rescue teams and several others are feared trapped beneath the rubble.
Event Context
Rescue ops are underway by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade.
Player Focus
According to a statement issued by the Thane Collectorate, search and rescue operations are being carried out with the assistance of trained sniffer dogs. Two ambulances and one JCB excavator have been deployed at the site as authorities continue efforts to locate and rescue those trapped under the debris.
Rescue operations and other necessary administrative procedures are continuing. The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been officially determined.
Team Analysis
Preliminary information suggests that residents heard loud cracking noises from the building between 8 pm and 9 pm. Sensing danger, local residents helped evacuate several families from the premises. However, between 11 pm and 11:30 pm, while some occupants and workers were still inside and others were attempting to evacuate, a portion of the building’s B Wing suddenly collapsed.
The building consisted of 48 rooms, with 12 rooms on each floor.
Officials believe several people may still be trapped beneath the rubble. Those initially reported missing include Shamji Pal (46), Santosh Pandey alias Munna (42), Miraj Sheikh (35), and several workers whose identities are yet to be confirmed.
Emergency teams, including personnel from the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade, NDRF, and Bhoiwada Police Station, rushed to the scene immediately after the collapse.
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Nitin Chavan, Fire Officer, Bhiwandi Fire Brigade, told HT, “According to local residents, six occupants of the building and five workers carrying out repair work were reported missing. So far, we have recovered eight bodies from the debris, and there is a possibility that more bodies may still be trapped underneath. Rescue operations are ongoing. The bodies have been sent to IGM hospital and the identification of the workers couldn’t be done not yet.”
The four-storey Kohinoor Building in Balaji Nagar, Gangaram Wada, in Bhiwandi was previously declared dangerous by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), according to fire officials. Despite being classified as unsafe, repair work was underway when the incident occurred.
