Maharashtra Building collapse: 13 dead; 60-year-old woman rescued after 26 hours

Raigad, Aug 25: At least 13 persons were killed after a five-storey residential building collapsed in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Monday, police said.

Rescue operations are underway and 18 are still feared trapped in the debris after the building, which was around 10 years old, collapsed at Kajalpura in Mahad tehsil around 7 pm, an official said.

A 60-year-old woman was rescued on Tuesday evening by the NDRF from the debris of Tareq Garden building in Mahad town of Maharashtra 26 hours after the incident, an official said.

Mehrunnisa Abdul Hamid Kazi was trapped under the rubble of the five-storey building which collapsed on Monday evening.

Kazi lived on the fifth floor of the building, the official said.

After noticing some movement under a portion of the debris, personnel of the National Disaster Response Force succeeded in pulling her out by 9.35 pm, and sent her to hospital.

Earlier, the NDRF had rescued four-year-old Mohammad Nadim Bangi safely from the rubble 19 hours after the incident.

"Three floors of a 5-storey building collapsed in Mahad of Raigad district; over 200 people are feared trapped. 15 people have been rescued," said Aditi S Tatkare, Maharashtra Minister.

There were around 45 flats in the building, the official said, adding 25 persons have been rescued and shifted to a local hospital at Mahad, which is around 170 km from Mumbai. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been moved to the spot for rescue operations.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to the district officials and asked them to expedite the rescue and relief work, another official said.

A viral video of the collapse showed a plume of dust rising from where the building had stood. Another video showed police trying to control several onlookers gathered at the collapse site.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to provide all assistance in the rescue of those trapped following the collapse of a building at Raigad in Maharashtra. Seventeen persons were injured after a five-storeyed residential building collapsed in Raigad district on Monday, police said.

"The collapse of a building in Raigad, Maharashtra is very tragic. Have spoken to DG @NDRFHQ to provide all possible assistance, teams are on the way and will be assisting with the rescue operations as soon as possible. Praying for everyone's safety," Shah tweeted.