Mumbai hoarding collapse: Wind speed was 96kmph at crash site in Ghatkopar, says IMD

The IMD on Tuesday (May 14) said the wind speed in Ghatkopar was 96kmph as recorded by the BMC's Automatic Weather Station. About 14 people were killed after a massive billboard collapsed during a fierce storm on Monday (May 13) in Mumbai's Ghatkopar.  

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the wind speed at Ghatkopar, where the hoarding collapsed on Monday (May 13) evening, reached 96 kmph. As many as 14 people have lost their lives and left over 70 injured after Mumbai was rocked by the devastating incident as a massive billboard, standing tall at 100 feet, collapsed during a fierce storm.

The billboard, located opposite a fuel station in the Ghatkopar area, was no match for the storm, plummeting down with terrifying force onto the fuel station below with wind of upto 60kmph.

On Tuesday, the IMD stated that the wind speed in Ghatkopar was recorded at 96 kmph according to the BMC's Automatic Weather Station.

Wind speeds in Colaba measured 51 kmph, while in Santacruz, it reached 87 kmph. Santacruz airport registered a wind speed of 55 kmph, with gusts reaching 75 kmph around 4:30 pm on Monday. Visibility dropped from 4,000 meters at 3:30 pm to 500 meters at 4 pm. Due to the pre-monsoon shower on Monday, flights bound for Mumbai were diverted to other airports.

The billboard was erected by Ego Media on a plot leased to the Police Welfare Corporation by the Maharashtra government's Police Housing Division. Despite obtaining permission for all four hoardings, including the collapsed one, from the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Railways), Ego Media failed to secure authorisation or a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BMC before installation.

On Monday evening, Mumbai was engulfed by a sudden and intense dust storm, plunging the city into darkness. Social media was flooded with eyewitness accounts of the chaos unfolding across the metropolis.

The storm wreaked havoc on transportation networks, forcing local trains and airport services to grind to a halt. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) was compelled to suspend flight operations temporarily due to low visibility and strong winds.