At least 19 persons died while a dozen were injured after a four-storeyed house collapsed near the State Transport bus depot in Kurla East area of Mumbai.
The entire building - Naik Nagar Cooperative Housing Society, a ground-plus-three structure caved in around Monday midnight, according to the Mumbai Police and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force, BMC, and Mumbai Fire Brigade are still at the site conducting rescue and relief operations.
The rescued people were taken to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital at Ghatkopar and Lokmanya tilak Municipal General Hospital at Sion.
Nine of those rescued were treated and discharged, according to the Disaster Management Unit of BMC.
At least a dozen are feared trapped in the debris, at the time of filing this report. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased while the cost of treatment of the injured would be borne by the government.
Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is the Guardian Minister of Mumbai Suburban, visited the site to oversee the rescue operations.
“It is an unfortunate incident. We are reviewing the notices issued by BMC to the dilapidated buildings to look into evacuation and demolition of such structures, ensuring the safety of the residents," Aaditya said.
"It is my earnest request to Mumbaikars residing in dilapidated accommodations, to please take the notice from BMC and other authorities seriously and vacate the premises at the earliest. It can be of great help during such unfortunate circumstances,” he added.
BMC Commissioner/Administrator Dr Iqbal Singh Chahal who visited the site said that a probe would be conducted into the incident.