The toll from the building collapse at Mahad in Maharashtra’s Raigad district went up to 16 on Wednesday as all the missing people were accounted for with the recovery of the last body from the debris, rescuers said.
The rescuers pulled out alive Mehrunissa Abdul Kazi, 60, and four-year-old boy Mohammad Bangi, whose two sisters and mother were found dead, from the rubble of the building. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials said the boy was rescued after 19 hours and Kazi after 27 hours of the collapse on Monday. They added nine people were found alive while bodies of 16 men, women, and children were recovered from the site.
NDRF public relations officer Sachinand Gawade said they were carrying out a final search to ensure that no body is buried although the administration said all missing people have been traced.
The Mahad police on Tuesday booked five people, including the builder of the building, for the collapse. According to the First Information Report filed in the case, the building had 40 flats and was constructed in 2013 after a two-year construction.
District collector Nidhi Chaudhari said most residents ran out of the building as it started trembling. She added, as a result, most survived. Chaudhari said around 95 people lived in the building and 75 of them managed to run away when the structure came crashing down.
Maharashtra rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who died and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
His ministerial colleague, Eknath Shinde, visited the site and directed the police to act against all those responsible for the collapse. “We will not spare anyone responsible for the building collapse. Information is being gathered on whether the structural audit of this building was conducted or not.”
District guardian minister Aditi Tatkare said a committee will be formed to probe the incident. “The committee will probe how and why this happened. At the same time, the structural audit will be carried out of other buildings to prevent similar incidents.”
Source: Hindustan Times
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