After 19 hours, a four-yearold boy, Mohd Bangi, was rescued from Mahad’s Tarique Garden building collapse site alive, amidst chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya”. Search operations are on even as the death toll has reached 13; a few people are still missing and feared to be trapped inside the debris.
It was around 1.30pm on Tuesday during search and rescue operations by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police and fire brigade that fouryear-old Mohd Bangi was pulled out of rubble after 19 hours. There were claps and cheering and tears of joy with “Ganpati Bappa Morya” chants, after which he was taken to hospital. NDRF Director General S.N. Pradhan termed the rescued boy as “god’s child”.
Thirteen people have died and several are still missing after Tareq Garden building in Mahad town, around 170 km from Mumbai, came down like a pack of cards on Monday evening. The collapse that happened was like a “pancake collapse” where upper floors collapsed first and on lower floors. After 22 hours of the incident, rescue operation is still going on. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Saddened by the building collapse in Mahad, Raigad in Maharashtra. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their dear ones. I pray the injured recover soon.”
The collapse of the building that was seven years old has raised several questions, after which a probe has been ordered. An FIR has been registered against five people, including the builder, architect contractor, chief officer and chief engineer of the MAHAD city under Sections 304, 304 A, 337, 338, 34. “A case has been registered against the developer and architect. Whoever is responsible, strict action will be taken against them. It would take another seven-eight hours to clear the debris,” collector Nidhi Chaudhary told The Daily Guardian.