Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Two bodies retrieved from car; death toll in hoarding collapse rises to 16

Pic/Sameer Markande

The death toll in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse in Mumbai rose to 16 on Thursday with rescue personnel retrieving two bodies from a car stuck underneath the structure.

The bodies of a male and a female were retrieved from the car struck below the hoarding in Chheda Nagar area shortly after midnight.

The bodies of a male and a female were found in a decomposed state and have been identified as Manoj Chansoria, 60, and Anita Chansoria, 59.

The giant 120 x 120 feet hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump during gusty winds on Monday evening.

The search and rescue operation is in progress at Ghatkopar hoarding collapse site, the official said.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in its release issued on Wednesday said due to the storage of flammable materials like fuel and gas at the petrol pump, the rescue teams have to be extra careful to avoid fire incidents

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.

Meanwhile, the BMC has issued notices to the administrations of the Central Railway and the Western Railway for removal of oversized hoardings erected on their land.

In a release issued on Wednesday evening, the Mumbai civic body said that under Section 30 (2) (V) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the notices have been issued to the authorities of both the zonal railways for removal of hoardings above 40 x 40 feet size.

"Taking into consideration the geographical position of Mumbai, the coastal region, its weather and wind conditions, the civic body has decided not to permit erection of hoardings larger than 40x40 feet in size," the release said.

The Ghatkopar incident prompted the civic body to undertake a drive for removal of illegal and dangerous hoardings across the city.

The civic body has claimed that it has undertaken a drive for demolition of illegal hoardings "on war footing" and it has already started the demolition of remaining three hoardings on the GRP's land in Ghatkopar. It claimed that they were erected without obtaining permission from the civic body.

Due to high wind velocity, some issues are being faced in the demolition process of the three hoardings, but two of the hoardings will be pulled down by Thursday night.

"The three hoardings at Chheda Nagar will be demolished, taking the wind speed into consideration," the BMC said.

(With inputs from Agencies)