BMC evacuates nearby bldgs; residents fear workers trapped under debris

Mumbai: After a compound wall and an internal road inside an apartment complex of Lloyds Estate, Wadala (east), caved in early Monday amid heavy rain, the BMC evacuated the nearby buildings.

When The Asian Age visited the spot, it found several cars buried or stuck under the debris. Around 15 cars were stuck in the caved in portion of the compound, of which, at least seven cars were damaged after the wall of an under-construction building collapsed.

A resident of C wing’s 22nd floor, Priya Deshapane, said, “At 4am on Monday, we heard a loud noise and we got very scared. We all came down and were shocked to see the caving in. There are around 200 flats in which we are residing. Our kids and elders are scared and in panic mode.”

Another resident, Anirudhh Mane, who is a civil engineer, said, “This caving in is due to the piling work underway along the common wall and the deep digging without any precautions.”

A resident Anila Nair said, “We fear that there could be some labourers working at the construction site who could have been buried under the debris as their helmets and clothes are visible in the rubble.”

Meanwhile, there have been no reports of any casualties during relief operations being carried out by the Mumbai Fire Brigade, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and other emergency services.

NDRF inspector Muhammad Shakil said, “We have brought the dog squad with us to find out if anyone is trapped. Since the cave is deep and we do not have any access to go down, we are waiting to get a way down.”