1 dead, over 80 feared trapped after five-storey building collapses in Maharashtra

One person was killed and 25 persons were rescued while 80 others are feared trapped as a five-storey building collapsed in Mahad in Raigad district on Monday night.

The residential building, situated in Kajalpura area of the town, had around 45 to 50 flats with nearly 200 residents.

The building is said to be six to eight years old and has been built by two Mumbai-based builders, local residents said.

It suddenly came crashing down at 6.05 pm, Raigad police and district authorities said.

Raigad district’s guardian minister Aditi Tatkare said that the building has around 200 to 250 occupants but it being evening hours, several may have been out of houses to marketplaces.

She said that since the government hospitals are designated Covid-19 hospitals, the patients are being admitted to private hospitals. If needed, arrangements will be made to shift them to Panvel.

Mahad municipal council president Shehal Jadhav said that 22 to 24 persons have been rescued. “So far, no deaths have been reported,” she said.

Raigad’s superintendent of police Anil Paraskar said that NDRF and SDRF teams are reaching the spot. “Local police, district officials are already there. Flood lights have been installed, JCBs of Public Works Department have been rushed,” he said, adding that we expect around 80-plus people to be feared trapped.