A senior official of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation who had tested positive for COVID-19 died on Tuesday due to the virus amid surging cases of the disease in Mumbai
Mumbai: A 55-year-old deputy municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) who had tested positive for coronavirus died on Tuesday, the civic body said.
The deceased, who was attached to the water supply project department, is the first high-ranking BMC official who has died after contracting the viral infection.
“A senior official of BMC who had tested positive for COVID-19 has lost his life. He was deployed in the water supply department,” BMC said.
He had tested positive only the day before.
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BMC, however, said the exact cause of death was not known yet, and the official was not involved in any field work related to the pandemic.
The officer worked at the BMC headquarters in South Mumbai, they added.
He was instrumental in pushing the Gargai dam project and in the successful completion of a 15 km water tunnel between Gundawali and Bhandup, a senior official said.
The BMC recently announced that families of the employees who die after testing positive for the virus would get compensation of Rs 50 lakh.
Mumbai on Tuesday reported 1,015 new COVID-19 cases and 58 deaths, according to the Municipal Corporation Greater Mumbai. With the new cases, the total number of positive cases in the city reached 50,878.
India saw another day of highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases with 9,987 cases reported in the last 24 hours and the total count of cases crossing 2.66 lakh, as per the Union health ministry.