Six killed as 100-year-old Mumbai building crashes

MUMBAI: Six people, including two brothers and their 14-year-old nephew, died and two others were injured when a 100-year-old building collapsed in Kamathipura on Saturday afternoon. The Nagpada police registered an accidental death report in the incident, which occurred around 2 pm.
The collapse has also triggered a war of words between two governmental agencies, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with the former blaming the ongoing road repair work for the collapse.
The three-storey building, Gulmahal, was located on Lane no 14 of Kamathipura; it had a wooden staircase and beams. Locals said casualties could have been higher if a ground-floor beer bar was open. Many residents had vacated the building because of the ongoing repairs.
The dead also included a paanwala, whose shop was located on the ground floor, and a woman who wasn't identified at the time of going to the press.
BMC suggested Mhada should vacate adjoining buildings and demolish them because they too have been damaged in this collapse. A Mhada official said they will discuss providing Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Most of the deceased were labourers from Murshidabad district of West Bengal, with no close relatives nearby. Their friends in the city have sought help from both the police and contractors for help to take the bodies back to their native place.
Noor Huda, a labourer, said the Mulla brothers have families to look after. “We don't know what to tell their family members. They are so poor that they cannot come here to claim the bodies.We are persuading the contractor to arrange for the bodies to be sent back and for some monetary compensation.“
Repair work at Gulmahal, a cessed building, was being carried out by Mhada. While locals blamed Mhada for substandard work, its officials issued a note stating that visual examination of the incident indicated that ongoing road work could be responsible for weakening the building's pillars.
The Mhada report read, “Vibrators were used for excavation of the road which may have caused the collapse.“ BMC officials have, however, rubbished these claims. Police officials stated they were probing the incident and it's too early to fix responsibility.
Local stated that around 2pm, labourers had their lunch and were about to start the work when the building collapsed. Locals immediately rushed to help and informed the fire brigade. The BMC disaster control room sent the required machinery for help and firemen managed to removed the victims after a few hours of struggle. Four inju red were declared dead before admission and two died during treatment.
Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ group of hospitals, said, “Two of them died during treatment while two were brought dead. One of the victims is admitted to the orthopedic department.“
Two bodies, including that of the woman, were taken to Nair Hospital, near Mumbai Central. One of the victims admitted to the hospital is recovering.