22 dead, several injured after 5-storey building collapses in Mumbai

Mumbai: 22 people were killed and many including two fire officers were injured on Thursday after a five-storey residential building collapsed in Bhendi Bazaar area of south Mumbai, reported ANI. 

A total of 29 people have been rescued so far and 10 to 15 people are still suspected to be trapped.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the building collapse site on Thursday.

Fadnavis announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of those who died in Thursday's building collapse.

The Chief Minister said action will be taken in case of any negligence.

Meanwhile, BMC Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar held Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) responsible for the incident. The building was built by MHADA, he said.

The building, located at Pakmodia street near JJ Hospital, with 12 rooms and six godowns on the ground floor, crumbled around 8:30 am. 

"There were around nine families staying in the building. Thirty people are feared trapped,” PTI quoted its sources in fire brigade, who were present at the spot.

Read: Narendra Modi expresses condolences for Mumbai building collapse victims

"Our disaster management cell received a call at 8.40 am about the collapse. We immediately rushed fire brigade personnel to the site to rescue the trapped people. We fear that several people are trapped under the debris," a senior official of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) said.

A 45-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is carrying out the rescue operation with the help of fire brigade personnel.

(Photo: PTI)

It is not known whether the building was on the list of dangerous structures under the MCGM limits.

The incident occurred two days after the city was pummelled by torrential rains, which may have caused damage to the building.