Three killed in building crash in Maharashtra

Thane (Maha), Aug 7 (PTI) Three persons, including an elderly couple, were killed and six others injured when a two-storey building declared as “most dangerous” by the local civic body, collapsed in Bhiwandi in the district this morning, the second such mishap in the powerloom town in a week.

Following the incident, local police, fire brigade officials and Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) were alerted and called on spot.

Two people were pulled alive from the debris but rescuers also recovered two bodies, said DM Katke, a senior police inspector in the Bhiwandi residential area where the collapse occurred. They also used latest High Definition camera’s to see through debris. The officer mentioned that the structure of the building was in a unsafe condition and the families had been given eviction notices, but they continued to reside there.

The two-storyed building, which was declared “most risky building” by the municipal corporation, collapsed in the morning today. On July 31, nine people died and 24 others were injured in another building collapse in Bhiwandi. “There are more than 15 such buildings in the city where about 200 families reside”, said MP Kapil Patil.

The incident took place in the Hanuman Tekri area. “And if the condition of the building is too bad then owner can here for a long time”, said minister Eknath Shinde who visited the spot.

Six members – three adults and three children – of the Thakur family living there have been wiped out in the disaster, according to Patil.