(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Two more bodies were found amid the debris at the site of the hoarding collapse in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area, bringing the total death toll to 16, officials said on Wednesday (May 15). The tragic incident occurred two days earlier, with rescue teams having previously recovered 14 bodies while 75 individuals sustained injuries.
During Wednesday morning's search and rescue operation, a minor fire also broke out at the incident site in Ghatkopar. However, swift action by the fire tenders extinguished the flames, as confirmed by an official from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
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"Despite the minor fire, our rescue efforts continued uninterrupted," the NDRF official said, highlighting the ongoing commitment to the operation even 40 hours after the initial incident.
The hoarding, situated opposite a fuel station in Ghatkopar, collapsed to the ferocity of a storm, crashing down with alarming force onto the ground below. CCTV footage captured the harrowing moment as the metal structure tore through car roofs before plummeting to the ground.
The hoarding, that was put in place by Ego Media on a plot leased to the Police Welfare Corporation by the Maharashtra government's Police Housing Division, lacked proper authorization from the BMC, despite obtaining permission from the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Railways).
Consequently, Mumbai Police have filed a case against the owner of Ego Media and other individuals associated with the incident.
In response, the BMC issued a notice to the Railway Police's ACP and the Railway Commissioner, demanding the revocation of all permissions granted by the Railways and the immediate removal of the hoardings.
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Monday evening witnessed Mumbai being engulfed by an abrupt and intense dust storm, shrouding the city in darkness and prompting a flurry of eyewitness accounts on social media detailing the chaos unfolding across the metropolis.
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