india

Updated: Aug 24, 2019 17:40 IST

At least two persons were killed and several were injured when a dilapidated four-storey building in Bhiwandi, about 40 km north of Mumbai collapsed early Saturday even as residents were being evacuated, officials said.

The injured have been rushed to the Indira Gandhi civic hospital. The two deceased were identified as Siraj Anwar Ansari, 26, and Mohammad Aaqib Ansari, 27

The Bhiwandi Nizampura City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) said civic body officials and a fire brigade team had evacuated the families staying in the building in Shanti Nagar area shortly after residents informed them that the building’s plaster was falling off. The building collapsed around 1.15 am.

“As soon as we came to know about the plaster collapse and cracks developing in the building, we evacuated all the families safely. However, some residents forcefully went inside to remove their belongings and the building collapse,” said Ashok Rankhamb, commissioner of BNCMC.

“The building does not have a name. We will file a FIR against the builder for negligence,” he said.

Two fire officials were also injured in the incident.

A rescue operation by the local police, fire brigade, national disaster response force (NDRF), Thane disaster response force (TDRF) was called off around 9 am,the BNMC commissioner said..

The BNCMC said the building was illegal and was around 10 years old. The civic body also claimed that all 20 families in the building were evacuated safely. But some of the residents forcefully went inside it to remove their belongings when the building collapsed.

Earlier on June 25, a nine-year-old girl, Sakshi Yengandulla, died in Bhiwandi, after a part of the roof collapsed. The BNCMC had listed the three-storey building as dangerous and had been sending warning notices since 2018 to the 42 families living there. The last notice was issued on May 30..

Last month, more than two dozen people died when a four-storey building collapsed in south Mumbai’s Dongri.