25 rescued, over 50 still trapped after building collapses in Maharashtra’s Raigad district
Police officials from Mahad, Shrivardhan and Mangaon divisions of Raigad have rushed to the spot and are carrying out rescue operations along with teams of NDRF
A five-storey building collapsed in Maharahstra's Raigad district on Monday with over 50 people feared to be trapped under the debris, officials said. The incident took place in Mahad city of Raigad district, around 170 kilometres from Mumbai. No casualty has been reported so far.
The 'Tariq garden' building, according to local residents, collapsed at around 6 pm. Police officials from Mahad, Shrivardhan and Mangaon divisions of Raigad have rushed to the spot and are carrying out rescue operations along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams.
So far, at least 25 people have been rescued from the debris.
The multi-storey building, which was 10 years old, housed over 40 apartments. A few people rushed outside the building to a safe spot after the first three floors collapsed, according to Nidhi Chaudhari, the Raigad district collector.
"Initially the top three floors of the building collapsed when some people came out. We have been able to bring out 15 persons. The injured have been sent to government hospital," Choudhari said on a phone call.
Raigad district guardian minister Aditi Tatkare said the local administration is trying to get exact information about how many were inside when the building collapsed. "As per my information, there were 47 flats in the building which housed around 150 people. How many were inside the building when it collapsed is still unknown," Tatkare said.
"We have already initiated the evacuation work with earth moving machines. In the initial first two hours, we were able to bring out 25 persons," said Manikrao Jajtap, former MLA of Mahad.
Several parts of Maharashtra are witnessing flood-like situations due to heavy downpour in the state. Many regions have reported incidents of house collapse. During the monsoon season in India, old structures are at a high risk of collapsing, with many lives at stake.
Earlier today, a 50-year-old house collapsed in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, killing one and injuring four others. The ground-plus-one-storey house, located in Sadar's Azad Chowk, collapsed around 4.40 am on Monday, according to officials.
Five people were rescued from the debris and rushed to the hospital, where a 43-year-old man was declared brought dead.
