Mumbai hoarding collapse kills 8, injures 74

The Ghatkopar incident was reported around 4.30 pm, at Pant Nagar, when a billboard located beside a petrol pump on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH), with four hoardings displayed on them, collapsed.

Speaking to reporters on Monday night, BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani said that eight lives were lost so far, while between 20 to 30 people are feared trapped. “Eight people have been killed in the incident and nearly 20-30 more people are feared trapped… our operations to rescue them are underway,” he said.

People present at the spot told The Indian Express that the billboard was “uprooted” like a tree. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) disaster cell, initially 100 people were trapped under the collapsed billboard. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) deployed 12 fire engines, two cranes along with quick response vehicles at the spot, along with a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Fire officials said that since the incident took place in a petrol pump, they had to clear the broken part of the debris by using conventional cranes, instead of metal cutters. “The structure crashed on the scaffolding of the petrol pump that acted as a buffer between the petrol dispensers and heavy metal object. At the time of incident, at least 50 vehicles were in queue at the pump and the people inside got trapped when the billboard came crashing,” a senior official from the MFB told The Indian Express.

Of the 74 injured, 35 are admitted in Rajawadi hospital, four of them in MJ Phule hospital at Vikhroli, three of them in HBT hospital and one of them at Prakruti Hospital, Kalwa. Remaining 31 victims have been discharged.

The deceased, who were declared dead at the Rajawadi hospital, have been identified as Chandramani Prajapati (45), Mohamed Akram (48) and Bharat Rathore (23), who were waiting to refuel their vehicles. The identities of the remaining deceased are yet to be ascertained.

MFB officials said that since they were not able to use metal cutters for removing the scaffolding, leading to delay in rescue operations.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the accident site and directed the municipal commissioner to conduct a structural audit of all hoardings in Mumbai. Shinde also announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the immediate kin of the deceased persons.

“The accident is very unfortunate and will be investigated. Action will be taken against the culprits,” Shinde said, adding that he has directed the BMC commissioner to conduct a structural audit of unauthorised and dangerous hoardings in Mumbai and remove them immediately.

DCP zone VII Purshottam Karad said, “We have registered an offence under sections 304 (culpable homicide), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 337 (causing hurt by negligent act) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Bhavesh Bhinde, owner of the company that put up the hoarding, and others at Pant Nagar police station, which is further investing the case.” Bhinde is the director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd.

As the hoarding was located close to the Eastern Express HIghway, the accident led to massive traffic disruptions on the stretch. “The Eastern Express Highway, SCLR and the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd link road got jammed. The pile-up went up till Matunga,” a senior police officer said.

Traffic was also affected on the Western Express Highway in Bandra, Andheri and Malad, while vehicular movement was slow on SV Road and LBS Marg in Ghatkopar.

Rescue operation and the process of clearing the debris is underway at the Ghatkopar hoarding crash site in Mumbai on Wednesday.
(Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Parking structure collapse

In another incident during the rain, an under-construction multi-storeyed metal parking structure collapsed near Wadala’s Shree Ji Tower, injuring three people, on Monday afternoon. According to the BMC, the structure collapsed and damaged around 10 vehicles parked along the roadside. The incident was reported at 4.22 pm at Wadala East’s Barkat Ali Naka.

The structure was 62 metres tall. Deputy Commissioner of police Sanjay Latkar (Port zone) said, “One person is admitted in Global hospital while two others are being treated in Sion hospital.”

Those admitted at Sion hospital have been identified as Nafiq Juman Khan (44) and Ramesh Mane (42), while the identity of the third victim is yet to be revealed.
Latkar added that the Wadala police were in the process of registering a case of negligence against the builder and the contractor.

One dead in tree collapse

One person was killed while five were injured in separate incidents of tree collapses in the city. According to BMC officials, there were 187 incidents of tree and branch collapses across the city on Monday. Of these, nearly 104 incidents were reported in the eastern suburbs, followed by 67 incidents in the western suburbs and 16 incidents in the island city.

In one of the cases reported at Bandra’s Hill road, one person died after a branch of an Umbar tree fell on a weather shed constructed in front of a shop, while another person was grievously injured. The deceased has been identified as Irfan Khan (35) while the injured has been identified Abdul Khan (38).