Woman killed, 3 injured as portion of Mumbai building crashes

MUMBAI — A woman was killed and at least three others injured when portions of a balcony and slab of an old building crashed near Grant Road station, here on Saturday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control said.

The incident happened around 11 a.m. when a part of the balcony and slab portions of the second and third floor of the Rubinissa Manzil building collapsed and another part was hanging precariously.

At least seven or eight residents were stranded on the top floor of the four-storied building and the Mumbai Fire Brigade along with police, ambulances and civic staffers rushed to launch a rescue operation.

After around an hour, the body of one was retrieved from the debris and the injured were rushed to the nearby Bhatia Hospital for treatment.

More persons are still feared to be trapped under the rubble and hectic efforts are underway to save them, said the BMC Disaster Control.

This is the current monsoon season’s first major house crash tragedy as torrential rains clobbered Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in the past 72 hours, with heavy rains lashing the vicinity since Friday-Saturday midnight.