10 Killed in Building Collapse in Maharashtra’s Thane; PM Announces Ex-Gratia
Thane, July 31 (TNT): At least 10 people were killed and three others injured after a four-storey residential building collapsed in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra’s Thane district late on Thursday night.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) and the municipal fire brigade launched an intensive search and rescue operation, deploying heavy machinery and sniffer dogs to search for survivors trapped under the debris.
Among those rescued was a three-year-old girl.
Officials said a total of 10 persons were pulled out alive from the rubble during the operation.
An NDRF official said 10 bodies had been recovered from the debris and appealed to the public to inform the authorities if any person was still reported missing.
The body of the tenth victim was shifted to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for postmortem.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said he was pained by the tragedy and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.
He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased, while Rs 50,000 would be provided to each injured person.
Rescue operations were continuing as authorities worked to ensure that no one remained trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
TNT KS
