Tragedy in Mumbai: 14 dead due to hoarding collapse
The giant hoarding, larger than an Olympic swimming pool, fell onto a petrol pump, complicating excavation efforts for the workers.
The Municipal Corporation of Mumbai (BMC) reported that 75 individuals were injured in the incident and have been transported to hospitals, with 31 already discharged.
The State Disaster Management Authority of Maharashtra has issued an incident sheet providing an update on the ongoing rescue operation. As of now, 89 individuals have been successfully rescued from beneath the collapsed hoarding, with efforts continuing to locate any additional individuals who may be trapped.
A total of 75 rescued individuals have been transported to the hospital for medical attention, with 31 already discharged and ongoing treatment being provided to the remaining 44. The site is being supported by 108 ambulances, as well as teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the fire department, and the Mumbai Police.
As a result of the collapse of a billboard and subsequent rescue operations in Ghatkopar, traffic came to a halt in certain areas. Traffic congestion was reported on roads near the petrol pump where the incident occurred, leading to slow vehicle movement in the surrounding vicinity.
Following the incident, the BMC issued a statement stating that the agency responsible for the billboard did not possess a permit from the BMC to install the hoarding. An FIR was filed against Bhavesh Bhide of Ego Media under various sections of the IPC.
On Tuesday, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that Bhavesh Bhide had fled Mumbai with his family. Somaiya urged for Bhide to be declared a fugitive in connection to the billboard collapse.
According to Kirit Somaiya, Ego Media, owned by Bhavesh Bhide, had erected over 2 dozen illegal hoardings. He called upon Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis to conduct a thorough inspection and removal of all the illegal hoardings put up in Mumbai in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Following the incident of the billboard collapse, the BMC has devised a plan to remove the remaining hoardings situated on Government Railway Police (GRP) property at Chheda Nagar in Mumbai’s eastern region.
In the wake of the tragedy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has allocated an ex gratia relief of ₹5 lakh for the families of the deceased individuals affected by the hoarding collapse. Additionally, he has pledged to provide free medical treatment at government hospitals for all those who sustained injuries.
Taking to social media platform X, Shinde stated, “In order to prevent similar mishaps in the future, measures have been initiated to conduct a structural assessment of all hoardings in Mumbai and promptly dismantle any deemed hazardous.”
