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Woman rescued as death toll rises in Mumbai building collapse
MUMBAI, July 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Rescuers pulled a woman from the rubble
of a Mumbai building a day after it collapsed but her two young children did
not survive, officials said Wednesday, as the death toll from the tragedy
rose to 13.
Heavy monsoon rains on Tuesday trapped more than 40 people after the
building crumbled in southern Mumbai’s congested Dongri area, with rescuers
and volunteers struggling to conduct their search among the narrow lanes.
“We rescued 28-year-old Alima Indrasi with her two children early on
Wednesday morning,” India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) spokesman
Sachidanand Gawde told AFP.
“She has sustained injuries but is undergoing treatment and her children
did not survive… (we) are hopeful there may still be some victims who will
survive.”
He said rescue operations were in the final stages.
Disaster management spokesman Tanaji Kamble added that 13 bodies have been
recovered so far.
The plight of the residents in the 100-year-old building, which was due to
be redeveloped, have highlighted the perilous state of Mumbai’s ageing
infrastructure.
The tragedy is the second collapse to hit Mumbai in two weeks and the
third in Maharashtra state.
A wall collapsed in the city killing 30 people in July, and 15 died in the
nearby city of Pune when another wall gave way the previous month.
Building collapses in Mumbai, home to around 20 million people, are common
during the monsoon season with rickety structures buckling under the weight
of continuous rain.
Across South Asia, torrential downpours have swept away homes, triggered
landslides and claimed at least 200 lives.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tweeted his condolences to the
victims’ families, describing the incident as “anguishing”.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1358 hrs