At least nine people died after a four-storey structure came down late last night in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi town. The Bhiwandi building collapse has triggered a large-scale rescue operation involving fire brigade personnel, police teams and civic authority staff working through the night.
The four-storey Kohinoor Building crumbled without warning, trapping several residents under the debris. Emergency crews reached the site within minutes and began clearing rubble in search of survivors, a process that continued well into the morning hours.
Rescue and relief operations are being carried out on a war footing, with teams working in coordinated shifts to comb through every section of the collapsed structure. Heavy machinery has been deployed alongside manual search efforts to speed up the process while minimizing further risk to those still trapped.
The scale of the operation reflects the seriousness with which authorities have treated the tragedy since the first reports emerged. Ambulances remained stationed near the site through the night to transport the injured to nearby hospitals without delay.
State Response to Bhiwandi Building Collapse
Maharashtra’s Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan visited the site early this morning to take stock of the situation firsthand. He reviewed the ongoing rescue work in detail and interacted with officials coordinating the operation on the ground.
Mahajan subsequently announced financial assistance of five lakh rupees for the families of each person who lost their life in the tragedy. The announcement is aimed at providing immediate relief to grieving households as they come to terms with the loss.
His visit also served as a signal to rescue teams that the state administration was closely monitoring the pace and safety of the operation as it unfolded through the day.
National Leaders Respond
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi both expressed grief over the deaths caused by the collapse. Their statements reflect the scale of concern the incident has drawn at the national level.
Prime Minister Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of two lakh rupees for the next of kin of each deceased victim. He also sanctioned fifty thousand rupees in financial assistance for those injured in the collapse, ensuring support reaches affected families without delay.
The combined announcements from the state and central governments mean that grieving families will receive support from both levels of administration in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Chief Minister Points to Prior Warnings
Speaking to reporters, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis revealed that the local civic authority had already declared the Kohinoor Building dilapidated before the collapse occurred. This disclosure has raised questions about why some residents continued to remain inside despite the warning.
Fadnavis noted that several families had already vacated the premises following the civic notice, but a section of residents chose to stay back. Emphasizing that human life is precious, he urged citizens to comply with corporation directives and shift to safer accommodation whenever such orders are issued during repair work.
His remarks underline a recurring challenge for civic bodies across Maharashtra, where residents of ageing buildings sometimes resist relocation even after official warnings are issued.
Action Against Contractor
The Chief Minister confirmed that an FIR will be registered against the contractor responsible for carrying out repairs at the site. According to Fadnavis, the repair work proceeded even though the building remained partially occupied, a lapse that appears to have contributed directly to the tragedy.
This development signals that authorities intend to fix accountability for the collapse beyond just providing compensation. It also raises broader concerns about safety protocols followed during repair and renovation work on ageing structures across the state.
Conclusion
The Bhiwandi building collapse has once again spotlighted the risks posed by dilapidated structures in densely populated urban pockets. As rescue operations continue and investigations into the contractor’s conduct begin, the incident is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of building safety enforcement across Maharashtra.
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