JOIN USHeavy rain caused a massive slab of an under-construction metro railway station to fall, killing one person on the spot and injuring 11 others, in north-western suburb of Andheri (East), on Tuesday evening.
Fire brigade personnel were deployed to execute rescue work and clear the debris with cranes and bull dozers.
Labour contractors at the construction site were trying to gauge the casualty count and expressed fears that more persons may buried under the debris. Talking to Deccan Herald, D Bhuvan, spokesperson of the Seven Hills Hospital, said out of the seven people admitted to the casualty ward, “...one was declared dead before admission while three persons are extremely critical and under observation.”
When contacted, the civic disaster management cell said five people were admitted to the Cooper Hospital in Andheri (West). The metro railway project is being executed by Reliance Infra, under the aegis of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
Top MMRDA officials who rushed to the spot told the media that an inquiry into the collapse will be initiated. Water level in the lakes swelled while rail tracks and roads were inundated, disrupting the transport services, following the heavy rain since the beginning of the week.
Officials at the Mumbai weather bureau have predicted heavy rain till Thursday, with south west wind blowing at 30 km/hour.
Heavy rain
Maharashtra and Mumbai, which had received scanty rain during the initial days of the monsoon season, have been battered by heavy rain for the last three days. Reports from the interiors hinted that the deluge has forced hundreds of people from the Konkan, western Maharashtra and Marathwada regions to abandon their villages, with large swathes flooded.