The horrific multi-storyed building collapse, which occurred in the wee hours on Saturday when people were at sleep, has claimed 53 lives so far. 18 dead bodies were recovered from the debris on Sunday. A few more people are still trapped under the debris, while the death toll may go up further in this Mumbai building collapse.
The 33-year-old building was situated on the Dockyard Road in South Mumbai. It collapsed at around 5:45 AM on Saturday. At least 21 families were staying in the building.
The Mumbai Police have arrested the proprietor of a marquee decoration firm, who had allegedly carried out illegal modification work in the building. He was identified as Ashok Kumar J Mehta of Mamamiya Decorators. He was sent to three-day police custody.
It is the seventh major building collapse in Mumbai in the last six months. Chief Minister Prithivraj Chavan has announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each for the deceased, while Mumbai’s Mayor Sunil Prabhu has announced a compensation of 2 lakh for the victims.
