The death toll in the hoarding collapse in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar rose to 14 in the early hours of Tuesday, with 74 left injured.
The death toll after a massive hoarding collapsed in Mumbai rose to 14 in the early hours of Tuesday, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) running overnight rescue operations for those trapped. At least 74 people have been left injured in the incident.
NDRF inspector Gaurav Chauhan told news agency AFP that eight bodies have already been recovered after excavators dug through the wreckage to rescue those trapped inside under the collapsed billboard. Four more bodies were still buried inside the rubble, he said.
“We have located them but we cannot remove them due to this petrol pump and the situation can be hazardous,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar extended their condolences for those who lost their lives in the incident in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, wishing a speedy recovery for those injured in the hoarding collapse.
Mumbai hoarding collapse: Top updates
- A 70-metre billboard collapsed in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar on Monday after the city was hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms. The illegal hoarding fell on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar’s Cheddanagar Junction.
- Rescue operations commenced on Monday evening, with 64 people admitted to the hospital. The NDRF conducted overnight rescue operations with excavators digging through the wreckage to retrieve the bodies still trapped in the rubble.
- The BMC said, in a statement, on Monday evening that 20 to 30 people were still trapped inside the rubble from the hoarding collapse. However, the NDRF was facing issues in removing the rubble due to the collapse that occurred at a petrol pump, which could lead to a hazardous situation.
