Mumbai Building Collapse: 11 Dead, Several Injured; MHADA Says Building In Dongri Was Unauthorised Construction

As night fell on the city, hundreds of people continued the job of rescuing people from under the rubble of the Kesarbai building, which housed an eatery on the ground floor and was located in a bustling lane off Tandel Street.

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) claimed that the four-storey building was unauthorised. It is said that between 10 to 15 families lived in the building.. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP)

NEW DELHI: A four-storey building collapsed in Mumbai’s Dongri area with around 40 to 50 people feared trapped under the debris. The residential building came down shortly before noon in which 11, including 4 women, one child were killed. In the city, hundreds of people continued the job of rescuing people from under the rubble of the Kesarbai building. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) claimed that the four-storey building was unauthorised. It is said that between 10 to 15 families lived in the building. "MHADA's repair and reconstruction board clarifies that its cessed property 25/C Kesarbai building is not the one that collapsed this morning," it said in a statement. "In fact, an unauthorised construction erected behind that building is the one that crashed," said Vaishali Gadpale, chief PRO, MHADA.

MHADA sources told news agency PTI that the residents of the Kesarbai, some officials had given its name as Kesarbaug, building had vacated it in 2018 as it had become dilapidated. MHADA looks after the maintenance of several old and dilapidated private buildings in the city. Such buildings are termed as "cessed" as its residents pay tax to MHADA. The difficult access to the site prevented ambulances and earth movers from being deployed, and rescue workers, including residents, used bare hands to remove concrete chunks, door frames and household items. Ambulances had to be parked some 50 metres away. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the building was around 100 years old. It was not in the list of dilapidated buildings and was given to a developer for redevelopment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who expressed his anguish at the loss of lives. "Collapse of a building in Mumbai's Dongri is anguishing. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I hope the injured recover soon. Maharashtra government, NDRF and local authorities are working on rescue operations & assisting those in need," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted, quoting Modi.

Collapse of a building in Mumbai’s Dongri is anguishing. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I hope the injured recover soon. Maharashtra Government, NDRF and local authorities are working on rescue operations & assisting those in need: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2019

Earlier this month, over 20 people were killed in multiple incidents of wall collapses in the city's worst monsoon rains in a single day in 14 years. In March this year, five persons were killed and 29 injured after a section of a foot overbridge outside Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus collapsed during rush hour. And in July last year, the pedestrian section of the Gokhale bridge in Andheri bridge collapsed, killing two people. Tragedies such as Tuesday's, especially induced by monsoon rains, are all too common in Mumbai metropolitan area, India's largest city by population with 22.5 million people. (agency inputs) WATCH | Mumbai: ''Rescue operation is being done manually due to narrow passage''