Thane, May 20 (PTI) Six persons, including four women and a two-year-old child, were killed and four others were injured after a slab of the top floor of a four-storey building in Kalyan collapsed on the lower floors in a cascading effect on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Kalyan Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Vishwas Gujar said the incident occurred during the flooring work at the fourth floor of the 30-year-old Shri Saptashringi building, which housed 52 families.
The building is located in densely populated Mangalaragho Nagar, Kalyan East.
“Initially, the slab of the fourth floor collapsed, taking with it slabs of all the subsequent lower floors in a cascading effect, trapping 11 residents in the rubble,” the SDO told reporters.
Following the collapse, the Fire Brigade, NDRF, and District Disaster Force teams rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations.
Gujar confirmed that six people were killed while five others were rescued from the debris; four of them sustained injuries.
The deceased were identified as Namaswi Shrikant Shelar (2), Pramila Kalcharan Sahu (56), Sunita Neelanchal Sahu (38), Sushila Narayan Gujar (78), Venkat Bhima Chavan (42) and Sujata Manoj Wadi (38).
The SDO said clearance work is currently underway at the site.
Maharashtra Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased.
“Deeply pained by the news of the building collapse in Kalyan that claimed six lives. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased during this difficult time,” Fadnavis states on X.
He assured that all necessary rescue and relief operations were being carried out on a war footing by the local authorities and disaster management teams.
According to officials, the remains of the affected building will soon be demolished as the slab collapse has rendered it unsafe for habitation, and alternative arrangements are being made for the displaced families.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde has directed urgent medical treatment for the injured and swift rescue operations.
Shinde said that if needed, kin of the deceased will get financial assistance from the District Disaster Relief Fund.
He also instructed that the remaining residents of the building should be shifted to temporary shelters.
KDMC Additional Municipal Commissioner Harshal Gaikwad told PTI that the building was around 30 years old, but it was not in the list of dangerous buildings.
“Incidentally, a structural audit notice was issued to the building just a day earlier,” he added.
KDMC stated that 513 buildings in its limits have been declared as dangerous or the most dangerous.
Police have registered a case and are investigating the cause of the collapse. PTI COR NSK
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