Mumbai has witnessed two tragic incidents as two houses collapsed due to heavy rain. A senior citizen couple lost their lives in Vile Parle (W) gaothan, and an 85-year-old woman along with her 50-year-old son are feared to be dead in Ghatkopar (E). Rescue teams were working tirelessly at the Ghatkopar site trying to save the trapped individuals at the time of going to press.
The incident at Vile Parle (W) occurred around 2.30 pm. Robie (70) and Priscilla Misquitta (65) were watching a procession from their second-floor balcony of the 25-year-old residential structure on St Braz Road when the building collapsed. The couple lost their lives in the tragedy, while their son Zeno (21) sustained injuries as he got entangled in the grilles. Two other individuals were also injured.
According to Angela Suttari, who lives in an adjacent building, the accident could have taken more lives as the balcony fell just seconds after the procession passed by. Local BJP MLA Parag Alavani believes that the iron rods supporting the balcony on the second floor looked rusted, leading to this unfortunate incident.
In the second incident, a part of a ground-plus three-storey building in Chittaranjan Nagar at Ghatkopar (E) collapsed around 9.30 am. Three members of the Palande family were trapped, and while the firemen rescued Aryan Palande (21), his father Naresh (50) and grandmother Alka (85) are still missing. The rescue operations are underway.
Devidas Kshirsagar, the Deputy municipal commissioner, reveals that it was a part of Mhada layout. As a result, BMC has neither given notice nor conducted an inspection.
These two incidents have not only left significant damage but also serve as a reminder to be cautious of the variable weather conditions during monsoon season in Mumbai.
