The BMC Disaster Control confirmed that they have recovered two additional bodies from the wreckage in the aftermath of the catastrophic hoarding collapse that shook Mumbai on 13 May. The grim discovery brings the total death toll to 16.
Rescue efforts persist at the location in Chheda Nagar, now spanning the fourth consecutive day since the hoarding collapse.
Wednesday’s rescue operations unveiled several vehicles buried under the rubble, intensifying concerns of additional casualties.
The incident has sent shockwaves throughout Mumbai. The city is embellished with 1025 large and small hoardings, alongside numerous others on railway properties.
In response to the calamity, the BMC has initiated the removal of all illegal or oversized hoardings that breach the permissible size limit of 40×40 feet (1600 sq feet).
Additionally, the civic body has issued notices to the Central Railway and Western Railway. They have urged immediate identification and removal of all illegal hoardings situated on their properties.
Earlier on Monday, Mumbai witnessed two separate incidents in the wake of a massive dust storm followed by unseasonal rains.
The first mishap unfolded in Ghatkopar, where a hoarding, succumbed to the fierce winds, crashing into several houses and a petrol pump in Pant Nagar.
The second tragedy struck in Wadala. A multi-storied vertical steel parking lot, situated near the Shreeji Towers building, collapsed onto a main thoroughfare amid the squally dust storm. The structure crushed several vehicles, trapping occupants inside.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde promptly visited the sites, overseeing rescue operations and ordering an inquiry into the tragedies.
Shinde directed the BMC Commissioner and Mumbai Police to conduct a thorough probe. Additionally, he mandated a special audit of all hoardings across Mumbai, with stringent measures to remove illegal structures.
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