Maharashtra: Bhiwandi building collapse death toll rises to 35, rescue operation continues

Death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse rose to 35, even as rescue operations continued on a third consecutive day.

The death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse rose to 35, even as rescue operations continued on a third consecutive day on Wednesday (September 23).

All the 35 deceased have been identified by Thane Municipal Corporation. Some of the identities disclosed by the authorities include - Jhuber Khureshi, Faija Khureshi, Ayesha Khureshi, Siraj Abdul Sheikh, Fatma Jubera, Siraj Ahmed Sheikh among others.

The owner of the building Sayyed Ahmed Jilani has been booked for culpable homicide and negligence causing hurt and is still absconding.

The building with 21 flats collapsed at 3.40 am on Monday, when a three-storied building in Patel Compound area of the town partly collapsed. Most of the occupants were sleeping at the time of the mishap. Two civic officials have been suspended so far for their negligence. As reported earlier by Times Now, there were 150 residents in the building at the time of the incident.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were rushed to the spot and the rescue operations were launched with the help of a canine team as well as with a technical team. According to the rescue agency, as on Tuesday morning, nine of the 26 deceased were identified as children. The NDRF jawans had also rescued a four-year-old.

Thane Disaster Management cell said the rescue operations are likely to end by evening, while 10 more people are trapped inside the debris.

Meanwhile, 40 families living in three neighbouring buildings were evacuated by the Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC). The civic body also disconnected the power and water supply to these buildings.