After a five-storey residential building collapsed in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Monday evening, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been hard at work to rescue those stuck in the debris. The operation has been going on for more than 24 hours. NDRF DG S.N. Pradhan spoke exclusively to The Daily Guardian on work done so far. Excerpts:
Q: What can you tell us about the situation in Raigad and whathappened throughout the day?
A: The local authorities had initially told us that 19 individuals are unaccounted for from the building. We then managed to track down two of them who had managed to escape the building on time. Earlier in the day on Tuesday, we managed to rescue a boy from the debris, while 12 bodies have also been recovered. Till about 8 pm on Tuesday, four individuals have not been accounted for. A calculated guess from my side would be that whomsoever is now stuck under the debris is stuck in the lower floors. It would seem these people got stuck as the building fell down while they were escaping. The operation will continue until we know to rescue or recover all individuals.
Q: How many teams have been deployed and till when can we expect the operation to be completed?
A: We have currently deployed three special teams for this endeavour along with the canine squad. That would mean about 110 plus NDRF operatives are actively working at the site. The dogs are helping us find those stuck under the fallen building. We have specialised equipment like a telescopic instrument with a camera on its end so that it can go deeper into the debris and show us what we can’t see from above. Until the last person is accounted for, this operation will continue and that is our standard operating procedure.
Q: How many people are confirmed dead so far and how many do your estimated say are stuck under the building?
A: 12 people have died so far; one boy has been recovered from the debris and four remain unaccounted for. The building had about 35-40 living quarters. It was a fivestorey apartment. It seems like many of those living there could escape in time. At least seven individuals are currently in the hospital. We are hoping that those still stuck inside can be recovered safely.
Q: How can one be safe from such incidents in the future? Where do we need to be careful?
A: Prevention is definitely better than cure. A building while being constructed should be properly made. People should live in places where they feel the construction is safe. When one lives in a building, they should see if it has a fire escape and the building should have at least two staircases. Also, the RWAs in every building should be active. Mock drills need to be conducted regularly so that they and their kids remain updated and aware.