Mumbai Building Collapse: Case Registered Against Three But no Arrests Yet

The case has been registered against three persons under sections 304A, 338, & 337 in connection with Kesarbai building collapse in Dongri, Mumbai on July 16.

Mumbai: Police on Tuesday registered a case against three persons under sections 304A, 338, & 337 in connection with Kesarbai building collapse in Dongri, Mumbai on July 16. However, no arrests have been made yet.

In the building collapse last week, 14 people had lost their lives and nine were severely injured.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation of Rs 5 Lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured, and all medical expenses of the injured would be be borne by the state government.

He also called a meeting to discuss the building collapse. Housing Minister RV Patil and officers from BMC, Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority, and the other departments attended the meeting.

Ten ambulances and five fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately after the collapse. Also rescued from the debris was a toddler who was wrapped in a towel and rushed to the nearby hospital. The collapse happened at around 11.40 AM and nearly 40 to 50 people were trapped under the rubble.

Meanwhile, fire brigade, Mumbai Police and civic officials rushed to the site but the constricted lanes made it difficult to access the area, reduced to a mass of rubble, twisted concrete and broken wires.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was deployed to carry out their search and rescue mission. Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) opened a shelter at Imamwada Municipal Secondary Girls’ School after the building collapse, said a civic official.

The Chief Minister had noted that the 100-year-old building was not in the list of dilapidated buildings and was given to a developer for redevelopment. He had said that between 10 to 15 families lived in the building. The residents, on the other hand, had long been complaining to housing authorities to take measures as the old building was in a dilapidated state for a long time, said legislator Bhai Jagtap.