The death toll in building collapse in Indian financial capital Mumbai has gone up to 72 with recovery of more bodies on Saturday.
Mumbai, April 6/Nationalturk – The death toll in collapse of unauthorized building in Indian financial capital Mumbai has gone up to 72 and authorities have called off the rescue operation.
The seven-storey under construction building at Shil Phata area of Thane, Mumbai had collapsed on Thursday evening like a “pack of cards”. “The death toll has gone up to 72 with more bodies recovered from the debris,” an official of disaster management cell.
Terming the incident as worst ever building tragedy in Mumbai, he said more than 70 people have been injured in the building collapse. “The injured are undergoing treatment at different hospitals”.
The official said that the rescue has been called off after 42-hour long operation was completed.
Most of the victims were construction workers, who were living alongwith their families in the under-construction building.
With entire families being wiped out, extended family members are rushing in to complete formalities and get news of their family and with most documents buried under the rubble, they were finding it difficult to prove identities to claim bodies.
Officials said the building was unauthorised. “It was built on forest land and was occupied at least up to the fourth floor.”
The spokesman of Thane municipal corporation Sandeep Malwi confirmed that the building was unauthorized. “The building was an unauthorised construction. We are going to investigate thoroughly into this and prepare a report,” he said.
The municipal officials said the building was illegally constructed on forest land and should have been demolished earlier. “The complaints about the illegal building were made to the forest department but in vain,” they said.
2 builders arrested: Police
Police said they have arrested two builders of the building– Jameel Qureshi and Saleem Shaikh . “One of them was arrested from Siddharthnagar in Indian State of Uttar Pradesh and another was detained from Thane, Mumbai”.
Police have yesterday registered a case of culpable homicide against the builders, who had gone underground after the building collapse.
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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News
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