BHIWANDI — At least seven people were killed and several others remain feared trapped after a portion of a four-storey residential building collapsed late Thursday night in the Balaji Nagar area of Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, following heavy downpours across the region.
The tragedy struck around 11:30 PM at the Kohinoor Building, a 48-room structure classified as a hazardous 'Category C' building by the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC). The civic body had previously ordered the building's evacuation due to its dilapidated condition.
Emergency Response and Search Operations
Emergency response units, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Bhiwandi Fire Brigade, and local police, arrived at the scene shortly after the collapse to initiate a full-scale search and rescue drive.
Equipped with four fire engines, two ambulances, heavy earth-moving machinery, and specialized dog squads, search teams pulled an injured young boy from the rubble early Friday morning before rushing him to a nearby medical facility. Rescue workers subsequently recovered six more bodies from under concrete slabs, bringing the official death toll to seven.
"Search and clearance efforts are progressing on a war footing," said Vijay Jadhav, Fire Officer at the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation. "While multiple individuals have been pulled out, emergency teams are using sensors and heavy equipment as two to three people are still suspected to be buried beneath the debris."
Safety Warnings and Evacuation Protocols
Municipal authorities revealed that while most residents had vacated the premise following formal notices and utility disconnections, one family had stayed behind while structural repair work was being attempted. Several construction laborers working on the repairs were also inside the building when the collapse occurred.
Bhiwandi Mayor Narayan Chaudhary stated that the local administration’s primary focus remains on clearing the site and rescuing survivors, adding that temporary shelter arrangements have been set up in nearby schools for displaced families.
"Despite the civic body severing electricity and water connections to unsafe properties, some occupants continue to reside in high-risk structures," Mayor Chaudhary said. "We will now carry out mandatory evacuations of all such designated unsafe buildings with direct police assistance to prevent further loss of life."
Search and clearance operations remain active as teams continue working through the night's wreckage.
