Bhiwandi building collapse: Death toll rises to 9, rescue op continues

Amid tears, screams and desperate prayers, rescuers pulled another lifeless body from the mangled heap of concrete at the Bhiwandi building collapse site on Friday morning, taking the death toll to nine.

Four individuals have been injured, while two to three victims are believed to be still trapped under the debris of the four-storey structure, Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer Amit Sanap told PTI.

A portion of the Kohinoor Building in Balaji Nagar area of the powerloom town came crashing down around 11.30 pm on Thursday, the officials said. It had been declared "dangerous" by civic authorities, and repair work was underway on the premises.

"Nine persons have been killed in the building collapse in Bhiwandi. A search and rescue operation is underway at the site," said Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives due to the collapse of a building at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district, and announced an ex gratia relief of ₹2 lakh to the next of kin of those who died and ₹50,000 to the injured. 

"Pained to hear about the loss of lives due to the collapse of a building in Thane, Maharashtra. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said in a post on X. 

As excavators cleared concrete chunks and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, armed with torches, crawled through terrifyingly narrow gaps in the rubble to look for survivors, residents of the building and locals stood in grief.

Struggling to control her emotions, a survivor thanked the Almighty for saving her from the "jaws of death". She recalled the horror of being trapped under mud and slush, while hearing her parents frantically call out her name from just a few feet away.

"I too was screaming at the top of my voice, but the debris swallowed my cries. My voice couldn't reach them. I remained buried in that cold marsh for agonising hours before the rescue team pulled me out alive," she said.

The woman claimed that the repairs were not being carried out properly despite repeated warnings from residents. "We warned them not to do the repairs in that manner, but they continued, leading to this disaster," she said.

Another mother, clutching her child to her chest, stood in disbelief as she looked at what was once her second-floor home.

"My husband, our two daughters and I lived on the second floor. When our portion of the building began to crack, the resident opposite us asked us to step into his house. That split-second decision saved our lives.

"Otherwise, we too would have been buried alive under that mountain of concrete. We have lost everything -- our home, our belongings. Our entire lives are gone," she told the media.

Many residents have been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Officials said five of the nine dead persons have been identified as Shamim Shaikh (32), Ranjeet Singh (45), Miraj Rasul Shaikh (34), Santosh Kumar Pandey (42) and Shamim Ansari (30).

Around 9 pm on Thursday, residents heard "loud cracking sounds" emanating from the structure, an official said.

Fearing the worst, locals immediately helped evacuate many families to other locations. However, while some occupants were still making their way out, the 'B' wing of the building caved in, he said.

A major multi-agency rescue operation is underway, comprising teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Thane Disaster Response Force and local fire brigade. A dog squad, four fire engines, two ambulances, and heavy earth-moving machinery have been deployed at the site.

Bhiwandi Mayor Narayan Chowdhari appealed to citizens to vacate "dangerous" structures immediately to prevent further loss of life.

"There are at least 130 to 140 'most dangerous' buildings in Bhiwandi right now that need to be evacuated at once. I urge residents to please come out to save their lives," he told PTI, offering schools and public community halls as emergency shelter camps for rescued families.

He claimed that when the building began developing cracks on Thursday night, civic authorities rushed to the site and managed to pull nearly 150 people to safety. However, 10 to 12 residents remained inside, he claimed.

Including this tragedy, at least 27 persons have died, and 20 were injured in rain-related incidents in Thane district this monsoon, said officials.