A three-story building on the outskirts of Mumbai collapsed in the early hours of the morning while residents were sleeping inside, killing at least 10 people, according to local reports.
An additional 20-25 people are said to be trapped in the building in Hywandi. About 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Mumbai – The National Disaster Response Force said Monday, adding that rescuers are working to find and free them.
An official told AFP that more than 40 emergency workers, including a team of 30 NDRF rescuers, are at the site of the building’s collapse. At least two people have been rescued, according to the NDRF tweet.
Local authorities said the incident in the city of Bhawandi took place around 3:40 am local time (22:10 GMT on Sunday).
The images, broadcast on the official Twitter page of the National Front for Relief and Development, showed emergency workers combing concrete and brick rubble with electrical wires hanging over their heads.
The breakdown of BLDNG BHI:
Real time update 4
🔶Embed a Tweet Teams on site
Rescue the second live victim
38 years old man rescued alive
🔶 There will likely be more live victims
🔶 Operations will continue Embed a Tweet Embed a Tweet Embed a Tweet Embed a Tweet Embed a Tweet @Years Embed a Tweet Embed a Tweet Embed a Tweet pic.twitter.com/ybFpXyFagO– ѕαtчα prαdhαn Satya Narayan Pradhan ସତ୍ଯପ୍ରଧାନ-DG NDRF (@ satyaprad1) September 21, 2020
Television showed a pile of rubble with rescuers climbing ladders to reach anyone still inside and dispatching dogs to search for survivors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter. He wrote: “We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to those affected.”
The Times of India reported that the building was on the list of dangerous buildings and an eviction notice was issued, citing Pankaj Ashia, a commissioner of the Bhiwandi-Nizampura City Municipal Corporation.
Last month, at least 13 people were killed after a five-story building collapsed in Mahad, an industrial town about 165 kilometers (100 mi) south of Mumbai.
In 2017, data from the National Crime Records Bureau showed that more than 1,200 people were killed in building collapses across the country.
Source:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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