One day before wedding, floor caves in at Bhiwandi house, taking 40 guests

Some of the injured guests undergo treatment at the hospital

A pre-wedding ceremony in Bhiwandi turned into a nightmare when the wooden floor of a ground plus one building caved in during the haldi ceremony on Thursday night taking 40-odd guests with it.

"More than 40 women family members had gathered on the top storey around 10.30 pm, but the wooden floor could not hold the weight and caved in. Six women have been injured in the incident. Five were taken to IGM hospital in Bhiwandi and one to Titan hospital in Thane. All are stable," said Sujeet Acharya, a family member.

The local police station and emergency room were not aware of the incident until three hours later. On hearing the screams of the women, the male guests rushed to the scene and rescued S Chowdhury (45), Anita Vishvasrao Arsida (35), Urmila Chaudhary Jeevanrao (50), Srinivas Arsida (35), Saradabai Srigiri (60).

"The wedding is scheduled for today. We can't postpone it," said another relative.