Two more bodies have been located under the debris at the site of a giant hoarding collapse in Mumbai as the search and rescue operation continued more than 40 hours after the incident, officials said on May 15.
The bodies were spotted last night at the hoarding crash site in Ghatkopar, but were yet to be pulled out, they said.
The illegal hoarding that stood on a piece of land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP) crashed on a petrol pump in Chheda Nagar area on Monday evening when the city was hit by dust storms and unseasonal rains.
Rescue teams had earlier extricated 89 persons from under the collapsed hoarding, of whom 14 were declared dead while the other 75 were injured, as per officials.
Rescue and relief work underway near the site of the hoarding collapse at Ghatkopar, in Mumbai, on May 14, 2024. At least 14 persons were killed and 76 others injured on Monday night when a 100-foot tall illegal billboard fell on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai. | Photo Credit: PTI
National Disaster Response Force's (NDRF) Assistant Commandant Nikhil Mudholkar told PTI on Wednesday, "We have spotted two bodies stuck under the third girder [of the collapsed hoarding] but we are facing difficulties in reaching the spot. One needs to crawl to reach there." "We have removed the first girder after cutting it overnight and are now removing the debris with the help of earthmovers and excavators," he said.
The NDRF personnel will now cut the second girder and there are more than five such girders (at the crash site), he said.
After removing the girders it will be known how many people are still trapped, the official said.
“Heavy machinery has been deployed for clearing and lifting the steel structure and girder of the billboard that collapsed on the petrol pump and a parking lot,” an NDRF official said.
“The probability of more casualties cannot be ruled out as the chances of finding people alive are slim,” he said.
Cutting and drilling equipment are not being used due to the presence of the petrol pump there. Also, fuel has leaked from damaged vehicles that were struck under the 120x120-feet billboard, he said.
On Wednesday morning, a small fire broke out at the incident site during the search and rescue operation, but it was immediately doused by the fire tenders deployed there, an NDRF official said.
"There was a small fire but it was extinguished immediately," the official said.
The search and rescue operation continued more than 40 hours after the incident, officials said.
