Building collapses near Mumbai

A three-storeyed residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi on Friday morning leaving at least one dead and many others are feared trapped inside the building.

The building, Tahir Dijnore, is located at KG Nagar, Navi Basti in Bhiwandi, a city in Thane district around 20 km from Mumbai, reports Hindustan Times.

"The incident happened at 9.08am, and we have rushed help to the spot immediately," said Sunil Zhalke, public relations officer, Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation ( BNCMC). "We fear that eight people are still trapped under the debris. The dead body of an 18-year-old woman has been pulled out. Rescue operations are underway."

The one fatality has been identified as Vruksa Ahmed Khan.

Five people have been rescued and rushed to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Bhiwandi, said Ashok Rankhamb, acting commissioner, BNCMC. Four of the injured have been identified as Khwaja Ahmed Sayyed, 70, Vihang Gabbar Khan, 8, Salma Tahir Aazmi and Abdul Asif Khan.

The ground plus three-storey building is just seven years old, Zhalke said. "We are trying to figure out whether it was on the list of dangerous structures or not." Locals at the spot said the building is on forest land and therefore an illegal construction. Located in the interiors of Bhiwandi, the structure does not have easy road access.

Two fire engines, two ambulances and a disaster management team from the BNCMC are already on the site, as are one fire engine and one rescue vehicle from the Thane Municipal Corporation, which is also sending a disaster management officer with 50 labourers, 10 gas-cutters and more personnel.

Bhiwandi has seen several building collapses over the years. In 2016, during the monsoon, four buildings collapsed in the city, which has a lot of spurious and illegal constructions.