Maharashtra: Part of building collapses in Thane, no injuries reported

A portion of a three-storey residential building, which was classified as 'very dangerous', collapsed in Maharashtra's Thane city on Thursday morning after heavy overnight rains, a civic official said.

No casualties were reported, according to Thane civic body's regional disaster management cell chief Santosh Kadam.

The balcony of an apartment on the third floor of 'Gayatri' building located in Kopri area collapsed around 8.30 am, the official said.

The 35-year-old building was classified as 'very dangerous' by the city civic body and was vacated last year and sealed, he said.

After a portion of it collapsed on Thursday, local firemen and a team of the disaster management cell rushed to the spot and removed the debris, he said.

A team of engineers will take a call on whether to demolish dangerous portions of the building, he added.

As many as 79 buildings in the city are under the C1 category (which means very dangerous and need to be vacated immediately), while 123 buildings fall under the C2 category, Thane Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma said on Sunday.

Residents of all buildings classified as 'very dangerous' have been evacuated in view of the ongoing monsoon season, another official said.

The C2A buildings are those that can be structurally repaired after which residents can reoccupy it, while C2B are those that can be repaired without residents having to evacuate it. The buildings under the C3 category are those that require minor repairs.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force is stationed in Thane since Wednesday to deal with any issues arising due to the heavy rains lashing the city, Kadam said.