A major accident occurred in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, on Friday morning. A three-story building collapsed in Bharat Nagar, Bandra area, following a gas cylinder explosion in Chawl No. 37. Approximately 12 people were trapped in the debris, who were rescued by the rescue team and admitted to a nearby hospital. Currently, everyone is receiving treatment, and relief and rescue operations are underway at full speed.
Panic After Morning Explosion
The incident is reported to have occurred at approximately 7:50 AM when a cylinder exploded in the chawl. The explosion was so powerful that a large portion of the building completely collapsed, causing chaos in the surrounding area. Preliminary investigations suggest that the gas cylinder explosion is the cause of the accident. Immediately after the explosion, the Mumbai Fire Brigade issued a Level-2 alert and initiated a rescue operation.
Fire department teams arrived at the scene and began clearing the debris. The injured were taken to the hospital with the help of ambulances, where their condition is currently reported to be stable.
Rescue Operation Underway on a War Footing
Multiple agencies, including the Mumbai Police, BMC, Fire Department, MHADA, Public Works Department (PWD), Adani Group, and BMC ward office staff, are jointly conducting the rescue operation. 108 ambulance services have also been deployed at the scene.
According to officials, the relief efforts are being supported by 2 Additional Divisional Fire Officers (ADFO), 5 Senior Fire Officers (SrSO), 1 Station Officer (SO), 5 fire engines, 1 Mobile Workshop Team (MWT), 1 Command and Control Unit (CFF), 1 Force Tender (FT), 1 Rescue Vehicle (RV), and 1 Water Quick Response Vehicle (WQRV).
Significant Role of Local Residents
Local residents present in the area at the time of the accident also lent a helping hand and assisted the administration in extracting the injured. Many people cooperated in removing debris and providing way for ambulances. The administration has cordoned off the area for security reasons, and relief work is still ongoing.
This incident has once again raised questions about the condition of dilapidated buildings in Mumbai. Experts say that timely repairs and inspections of such old chawls and buildings are extremely important to prevent such incidents in the future.
