Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A FIVE-STOREY residential block collapsed in Mumbai at daybreak today leaving up to 70 people feared trapped inside, in the latest building disaster to hit India’s financial capital.
Crowds formed around the rubble of the completely flattened block, owned by the city’s civic administrative body, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, in the east of the city.
“My son is inside. I’m waiting for them to get him out,” distraught 62-year-old retiree Mithi Solakani told AFP as rescue workers scrambled over tonnes of debris.
Several diggers were pressed into action to lift some of the larger slabs of concrete, allowing teams of rescuers to begin the task of taking out bodies and searching for survivors.
One was removed covered in dark red cloth and carried to a waiting ambulance on a stretcher. Crowds of women waiting nearby could be heard sobbing.
Families living in the building
Local politician Bhai Jagtap said that 22 families lived in the destroyed block and seven to eight people had been brought out alive.
“The rest of the people are down below, calling people from inside. Rescuers are doing their level best to save lives,” he told AFP.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also said that 22 families were housed there.
“We think up to 70 people are trapped,” Alok Avasthy from the NDMA told AFP at the scene.
The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai said that the building was for employees of the local administration and their families who had been asked to leave earlier this year.
“The building was around 30 years old. We had issued a notice to them in April, to vacate the building, but they did not act,” Vijay Khabale-Patil, the corporation’s spokesman, told AFP.
He did not explain why the families had been asked to leave.
Five other apartment blocks have collapsed in or close to Mumbai in recent months, including one in April that killed 74 people.
They have highlighted poor quality construction and violations of the building code, caused by massive demand for housing and endemic corruption.
- © AFP 2013.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
In fairness, workers out clearing roads are doing an amazing job. I had to detour around large fallen trees several times yesterday, and twenty minutes later one tree was gone and another was being removed. Hats off :)
Duvet day.
Any news on that tree we have entered for the “tree of the year” competition. Is it still standing.
Stay safe out there San Diego….
How come in America when there’s a major storm they shut down everything, transport , schools , flights etc, for the safety of the public, yesterday they should have done the same here, especially for families taking kids to schools, its amazing there was no one seriously hurt
Sure their be nothin done…
Because we are adults and should be capable of thinking of our own safety and the safety of our family. I did not need to be told to stay in unless it was an absolute necessity to go out. I looked out the window and came to that conclusion all by myself.
Go live in America so Nigel.
Nigel as bad as the storm in Ireland was yesterday the storms in America are far more extreme and that’s when they implement full shutdowns.
160kph gusts is extreme enough , I know some schools and companies that allowed people to stay at home and be safe and it was the first red alert storm we had. As I said its lucky there were no serious injuries
We need to make sure businesses (and home) are prepared for these types of events. It’s quite likely they will occur more often than we are used to seeing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKystuzj0kM#t=0
Always make sure you have a plan B!
Massive power cuts… Cue a baby boom in 9 months time !
Feic it I hate being in Dublin. Back home the local FF-voting farmer is probably cutting up all the fallen trees on the road instead of me.
Well feck off then, Dublin would be better off without you
On the subject of falling trees could not help but notice most of the men using chainsaws except The professional guys which were few did not have any H/S gear on which is a must when operating a chainsaw .
I wouldnt chance that myself but each to their own. Up in Dublin you probably need a 4 year degree before you’re allowed near a chainsaw
Alan whist, you’re in Ireland now sonny
No you don’t but what you do need is some good gear such as a helmet gloves trousers anyone ever seen what a chainsaw do to you if something goes wrong and all red thumbs for me so I’m not surprised of the accidents happen with chainsaws.
No power in Ballon Co. Carlow. Its been off since 2.00 pm yesterday. Loads of snow, well an inch and a half. Part of my roof is now somewhere in Wicklow, but nobody seriously hurt around the country. It says a lot that people did in the main use common sense yesterday.
The warnings from Met Eireann were not up to scratch, I knew only from looking at the weather forum on boards.ie that it was going to be a bad one.
Now for a day in front of the fire. Tis all good.
Keep an eye out for a shed roof, trampoline, greenhouse and a few fence pannels, they should be near Ballon now. No snow or electricity in Ballycarney. Time to cut up some fire wood, enough trees down.
You know what they say: “Make hay while the sun shines.” I think it applies here.
Floods are a great time to wash the car. Plenty of water around to rinse her off.
Limerick’s city & county council staff, firemen, gardai & ambulance personnel have done a fantastic job over the last 24 hours keeping roads clear and attending to any injuries in those extreme conditions. Well done to you all.
Show showers? Any tickets left?
Champion, we just ran out of firewood, anybody got a fallen tree just ring leftwingsteve
Irish people and work ?? in the same sentence. HAHAHAH.
Idiots with internet access.
Not all irish people are in that bracket , I worked for over 21yrs and my husband since he was 16yrs.yes their are people who are that bracket off living on the dole never worked. But don’t tar everyone with being dossiers .
And we will do it all again tomorrow!!
Caption competition for the fireman on his phone:
“Where did I put that chainsaw app… Ooh Flappy Bird!”
This tree is big, that one is far away
“No one’s looking, I’ll quickly snap chat a picture of my mickey to a few the lads.”
Now it’s snowing in Leitrim. Great.
I was checking the weather forecast yesterday nearly every 5 min to see if anything would go near kilkenny. As they gave a red alert for cork and kerry only i was surprised to see kilkenny only got a yellow alert. By the time the storm passed kilkenny the met uplifted it to red. If hurricane winds are expected and if you clearly can see the growing storm on sattelite pictures surely you would think they give the whole country a red alert? Also some local radio urged people to move their cars,who were parked under a tree, during the peak of the storm is not very clever. Thats like saying to look for shelter under a tree during a thunderstorm
How do i get to work ??
You mean how do them muck savages collect their dole
Nasty in Killarney last night just cycled in town trees fallen at Port Road by Cathedral be careful.
Could Polymer crystals be used as part of water barriers but also to store water for future use? One pound of the crystals holds about 50 gallons of water.
have your say