At least three people have died while dozens are feared trapped inside a building that collapsed in India’s financial capital of Mumbai on Thursday following days of heavy rains that had been ravaging the city.
Rescuers are scrambling to save an estimated 40 people believed to be trapped in the building. They could be seen using diggers to sift through the remains of the four-storey building which gave way around 8:40 a.m. local time. The area of Bhendi Bazaar where the incident happened is densely populated.
The building collapse is just the latest fatal housing collapse to strike the crowded metropolis- bringing into focus again the poor construction standards in the second most populous Asian country. Local authorities attribute the collapse to heavy rains and inundations in the city that already claimed 10 casualties.
A spokesman for the Mumbai civic authority ‘s disaster control team has confirmed that three bodies had been pulled from the rubble while thirteen others were rescued from the accident, but are injured. Two firemen were also hurt from the rescue operations.
An official in the control room of India’s National Disaster Response Force also confirmed that at least 40 people are believed to be trapped inside the collapsed building. Around eight to nine families are also believed to have been living in the building.
The building is old and quite dilapidated as many other structures in Mumbai are. Local reports say that lately there have been worries that such a disaster is bound to strike given the heavy rains and the vulnerable structure of the buildings in the city. Building collapses are also common in India, especially during the monsoon season starting from late June to September. Poor construction quality of the buildings, aside from being old, contribute to said accidents. Millions are also forced to cramp in ramshackle properties because of rising real property prices and a lack of government housing plan for the poor.
The city has been contending with heavy downpours since Tuesday which caused flooding across Mumbai.
While there is no <strong>official word</strong>, some are floating speculations that the building’s unpleasant problem with sanitation, specifically regarding the <strong style="color:brown">disposal of fecal waste</strong>, may have also contributed to the collapse of the building. India has lately been challenged by their lack of good sewage infrastructure.
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