Bhiwandi Building Collapse: NDRF halts rescue operation after 3 days; 41 dead & 25 rescued

Three days after the building collapse in Mumbai's Bhiwandi area, the rescue operation has been halted according to the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force). At 11;45 am on Thursday, the rescue operation has been called off after 41 bodies were recovered from the debris. Nearly 25 people were rescued by the NDRF in this operation. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray expressed his condolences to the bereaved families via a tweet in Marathi. 

PM Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the building collapse on Monday in a tweet that read, "Saddened by the building collapse in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for a quick recovery of those injured. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to the affected." 

President Ram Nath Kovind also took to Twitter to mourn the loss of lives. "The loss of lives in the building collapse at Bhiwandi, Maharashtra is quite distressing. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the accident victims. I wish speedy recovery of the injured. Local authorities are coordinating rescue and relief efforts," read his tweet.

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Bhiwandi Building Collapse

A three-storey building located in Bhiwandi, Thane collapsed around 3:40 am on September 21. Soon after the collapse NDRF, TDRF (Thane Disaster Relief Force), fire brigade and police team reached the location for rescue operations. During the rescue operations, nearly 25 people were pulled out alive from the debris. Out of the 41 dead bodies pulled out, 18 were children including 3 toddlers as per a PTI report. Several bodies that were recovered were mutilated and highly decomposed as they were found hours after the accident adds the report. A case has been registered against the owner of the building and two civic officials have been suspended in relation to the collapse.

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The building was located about 10 km away from Thane in Narpoli's Patel Compound near Dhamankar Naka. As per PTI reports, the building had a total of 40 flats and about 150 residents who were asleep when it collapsed. The report further adds that the building was not listed in the dilapidated structures of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation. The building was about 43-years old. 

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(With inputs from ANI)