Maharashtra: Dombivli Building Collapse Toll Rises To 2, Search On For Survivors

The death toll in the Dombivli building collapse incident in Maharashtra's Thane district rose to two on Friday evening.

The death toll in the Dombivli building collapse incident in Maharashtra's Thane district rose to two on Friday evening, Municipal Corporation officials said, as reported by the news agency ANI. Meanwhile, officials of the Thane Municipal Corporation said that the rescue and search operation is underway.

Earlier, one body was recovered after the three-storey building collapsed. The building's collapse occurred around 5:40 pm on Friday, leading to a search and rescue operation. The body of Suraj Birja Lodya (55) was retrieved from the rubble shortly after the incident.

According to news agency PTI, the residential building, which had previously been deemed "dangerous and dilapidated" by civic authorities, collapsed on Friday, killing a 55-year-old man. The ill-fated building, known as 'Adinarayan Bhuvan' and located in Ayre village within the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) limits, housed 44 tenements. Authorities began an evacuation process on Thursday after signs of structural instability became apparent.

Bhausaheb Dangde, the Chief of KDMC, expressed concern over the fate of two individuals who are believed to be unwell and remain unaccounted for. However, all other occupants had been successfully evacuated in the lead-up to the collapse. "The 50-year-old building was declared dangerous and a notice had been issued asking occupants to vacate. Many had vacated but some had returned to the building," Dangde was quoted as saying by PTI.

Building Was Under Scrutiny 

The building had been under close scrutiny due to its precarious state, and evacuation efforts began on Thursday evening and continued until the collapse. The KDMC had previously identified the structure as a hazardous edifice, according to an official, as reported by PTI. 

Rescue Operation At Site

The fire department and local disaster management teams carried out a search and rescue operation at the site overseen by Dangde and other senior officials. Another civic official on the scene revealed that the ward contained a total of 40 dangerous buildings. Furthermore, the KDMC jurisdiction includes 602 such hazardous structures.

In response to questions about civic measures for such structures, Dangde stated that the immediate priority was to focus on search and rescue operations at the collapsed building site. Yasin Tadvi, Chief of the Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell, reported that a Thane Disaster Response Force team promptly responded to an alert about the building collapse, deploying additional resources to the scene, the report said.