Four-Storey Building Partially Collapses In Maharashtra's Bhiwandi, 6 Killed

Bhiwandi: At least six people have died after a four-storey residential building collapsed in Maharashtra's Thane district late on Thursday night. Rescue operations are underway at the site, with emergency teams continuing to search for those feared trapped beneath the debris.

The incident occurred at Kohinoor Apartment in Gangaram Wadi, Bhiwandi, at around 11:30 pm. According to officials, around 10 people were initially believed to be trapped under the rubble when the building came crashing down.

According to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), six bodies have so far been recovered from the site, while search and rescue operations are continuing to trace any remaining persons who may be trapped under the rubble.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the site at around 1 am and launched rescue operations along with the Fire Brigade and Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF). So far, two bodies have been recovered from the debris, while efforts to locate and rescue others continue.

The latest incident comes weeks after a deadly structural accident in Maharashtra's Pimpri Chinchwad, where a garbage heap collapsed onto a building at the Moshi garbage depot on July 8, killing nine people.

Following the Moshi tragedy, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi directed officials to complete the preliminary inquiry at the earliest and register a police case against the contractor company concerned. During a review meeting with senior civic officials, he also instructed authorities to issue notices to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's Environment Department and contractor Antony Lara Renewable.

Reacting to the Moshi incident, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale termed the tragedy "deeply distressing" and stressed the need to demolish structurally unsafe buildings to prevent such accidents. He said the government had provided Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the affected families and assured that necessary steps would be taken to avoid similar incidents in the future. 

Officials are yet to ascertain the exact cause of the collapse, and further details are awaited.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the number of people who were inside the building at the time of the incident.