3 killed in Bhiwandi godown collapse, 10 feared trapped

Three persons, including a minor girl, were killed and at least 11 others have been rescued from the debris after a two-storey godown collapsed on Saturday in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra’s Thane district, while 10 persons are still feared trapped, a civic official said.

The ground-plus-two-storey godown situated in Wardhaman Compound in Valpada in Mankoli, which collapsed at 1:45 pm, had four families occupying the upper floors while workers were present on the ground floor, Regional Disaster Management Cell chief Avinash Sawant said.

Rescue operations underway since the last eight hours were carried out manually initially after which a dog squad and two earth-movers were deployed late in the evening, Sawant said.

“The bodies of a four-and-a-half-year-old girl, a 40-year-old man, and a 26-year-old woman have been taken out from the debris, while 11 persons have been rescued and are being treated for injuries. We fear some 10 persons may still be trapped underneath,” Sawant said in the night.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed condolence and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, while medical expenses of the injured would be borne by the state government.

Shinde visited the spot in the night.

The CM has instructed officials to ensure proper coordination among all agencies involved in the search and rescue operations, an official release said.

Earlier, officials said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), ten fire engines as well as personnel from various agencies from Bhiwandi and Thane were involved in the search and rescue operations.

Senior officials, including Thane Collector Ashok Shingare, were monitoring the search and rescue operations in the presence of Union Minister Kapil Patil, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Bhiwandi.