Five of Bantwal family buried alive in building collapse in Thane

Five of  family from Bantwal lost their lives when a  three-storey building ‘Krishna Nivas,’ in Thane, Maharashtra came crashing down in the wee hours on Tuesday.

The deceased have been identified as Ramachandra Panduranga Bhat (62), his wife Meera Bhat (58), daughters Rashmi Bhat (25), Ruchitha Bhat (24) and Ramachandra Bhat’s brother Subhash alias Subraya Bhat (54).

Bhat family had shifted to Thane four decades ago and was into catering business.
As the news broke out, a pall of gloom descended on the ancestral house of Bhat in Bantwal, where Ramchandra’s siblings Vaman Bhat, Pramod Bhat and Padmanabha Bhat live with their families.

 The brothers, who have left for Mumbai on Tuesday morning said that they will perform the last rites in Thane itself.

Bhat’s daughter Rashmi was married to Kiran on June 4. She had visited her parents house on August 2 (Sunday). Her husband’s family members will carry out the last rites of Rashmi, said the family members.

It was said that the family was residing in the second floor of the house. Around 2.30 am, the family heard a sound and woke up. Bhat’s daughter Ruchitha had recorded footage of the collapse of the building on her mobile phone and has sent to her relatives through WhatsApp. She, along with her parents and sibling, was later buried under the debris.

“The family members used to take part in the chariot festival of Sri Tirumala Venkatramana temple in Bantwal town, every year. In fact, the family had come to Bantwal three months ago to attend a marriage function,” said a family member.