Thane, July 31: Disaster management teams have rescued several survivors from the rubble of a four-storey building collapse in Thane district’s Bhiwandi area, where nine deaths have been officially confirmed. The incident occurred at approximately 11:20 pm on Thursday when structural failure caused a portion of the Kohinoor Building to fall, prompting a full-scale multi-agency response including the National Disaster Response Force and local fire services.
Disaster response personnel successfully extracted trapped occupants from narrow voids in the collapsed concrete following hours of careful excavation. Recounting the experience during the rescue effort, a female survivor maintained that she remained trapped under the mud for hours before teams pulled her out alive, adding that residents had previously raised concerns regarding the manner of ongoing repair work. Another survivor affirmed that a neighbor’s timely warning allowed her family to move across the hallway seconds before their living quarters collapsed, saving their lives.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared through an official statement that the unfortunate event occurred while structural work was in progress, asserting that comprehensive assistance as per government guidelines will be extended to the bereaved families. Mayor Narayan Chowdhari stated that civic administration remains focused on identifying and securing other designated hazardous properties in the municipality to prevent similar occurrences.
