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Monday,31-March-2025
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Mumbai Rains: 4 Dead In 2 Building Collapse Incidents in Ghatkopar & Vile Parle, Several Rescued

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Mumbai: Following the first heavy rainfall of the season, Mumbai experienced two building collapse incidents in the suburbs on Sunday. In Vile Parle gaothan, two senior citizens lost their lives, while three individuals were successfully rescued. Another incident occurred in Rajawadi colony, Ghatkopar east, where three people were rescued, but two residents remained trapped on the first floor of a three-storey building. The rescue operation for the two trapped individuals continued until late evening.

In an important update received on Monday morning, the search and rescue operation at the Ghatkopar Rajawadi Colony was completed. After almost 23 hours of operation, dead bodies of both missing people were recovered from the rubble.

Incident Took Place A Day Ago

At 9:30 am on Sunday, a portion of a ground plus three-storey building collapsed in Rajawadi colony, Chittaranjan Nagar, Ghatkopar east. The basement, stilt parking, and the first floor of the building were severely damaged. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) and the National Defence Response Force (NDRF) immediately initiated the rescue operation.

A couple residing on the third floor was safely rescued, while no family was present on the second floor. However, Naresh Palande (50 years) and his mother Alka Palande (94 years), who were staying on the first floor along with their dog, got trapped. Fortunately, their son Aryan (20 years) managed to jump out of the window unharmed.

Visuals from the incident site emerged on social media:

St. Braz, Vile Parle Balcony Collapse incident

A portion of the balcony of ground plus plus two-storey building collapsed on St. Braz Road in Vile Parle Gaothan on Sunday afternoon. Due to a local festival in Gaothan, a band procession was going through the area during the incident. A family staying on the second floor was watching the procession when suddenly their balcony collapsed. Prishila Misauita (65yrs) and Robi Misauita, (70yrs) fell down on their heads, while their son got injured.

They were immediately rushed to BMC’s Cooper hospital. But both were declared brought dead. Jude D’souza, a relative of the couple, said, “The building is 20 years old and the balcony area was weak.” The condition of another resident, Sumitradevi (53yrs) injured in the collapse, is now stable. While the condition of other unknown injured is awaited. “To see this procession, some people had gathered on the chajja (extended portion of the building). Due to overload the said structure had fallen down. The building was old and and was not dilapidated,” said BMC in its statement.

Civic Body Gives Details On the Incident

The MHADA layout at Rajawadi colony had row houses in 1960, which were later converted into bungalows in 1990. The collapsed building no. B/7/166 is owned by Rohit Kumar Chapatwala, who now stays overseas. The Palande family and Mihika Jambusariya were staying on the 1st and 3rd floors of the building. The civic officials from N ward confirmed that the building was not on the list of dangerous buildings.

Naresh Palande works as an estate agent and he has been staying with his family in the bungalow for more than 5 years, since his building went under redevelopment. His wife Varsha was at her mother’s house in Mulund with her daughter when the incident took place. Aryan and Mihika refused to talk to the media. Shridhar Palande, uncle of Naresh said, “The bungalow was not dilapidated. NDRF are trying hard, but the heavy rains are making the rescue operation difficult.”

“The team of NDRF and MFB went inside the building from the backside, tracing the location. But they found two slabs joined at one point and returned. The teams couldn’t use gas cutters or heavy materials since the structure is tilted and weak, said a civic official.  

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Mumbai’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sudhakar Pathare, who was posted in the Port Zone, passed away in a road accident on Saturday.

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Pathare had visited Hyderabad for training. He was on his way to visit a temple with a relative when the accident occurred. Both Pathare and his relative lost their lives in the crash.

Mumbai Police have been informed about the incident.

More details are awaited.

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India stands in solidarity with people of Myanmar: PM Modi

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New Delhi, March 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the catastrophic earthquake in Myanmar, which has resulted in the loss of over 1,000 lives.

In a post on X, PM Modi posted, “Spoke with Senior General H.E. Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake.”

Under its Act East policy, India has launched ‘Operation Brahma’ to provide urgent relief to Myanmar. On Saturday, more than 15 tonnes of essential aid were dispatched following a series of powerful tremors that wreaked havoc on Friday.

Highlighting India’s unwavering commitment to assisting its neighbours in times of crisis, PM Modi further added, “As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour. Disaster relief material, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue teams are being expeditiously dispatched to the affected areas as part of Operation Brahma.”

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced the initiation of Operation Brahma, confirming that the first tranche of humanitarian aid had reached Yangon Airport on Saturday morning.

“Operation Brahma gets underway. First tranche of humanitarian aid from India has reached the Yangon Airport in Myanmar,” the EAM posted on X.

The Ministry of External Affairs emphasised India’s role as a first responder, stating that the relief consignment included tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, and crucial medicines.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) transported the relief material aboard a C-130J aircraft from Air Force Station Hindon. The package comprises ready-to-eat meals, water purifiers, solar lamps, generator sets, and vital medical supplies such as paracetamol, antibiotics, syringes, gloves, and bandages.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Bangkok is closely monitoring developments in neighbouring Thailand, where tremors were also recorded. Officials confirmed that there have been no reports of any Indian citizens being affected.

The Embassy advised Indian nationals in Thailand to contact emergency services if needed, assuring that all Embassy staff in Bangkok and the Consulate in Chiang Mai are safe.

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1,002 killed, 2,376 injured in devastating earthquake in Myanmar (Ld)

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Mandalay, March 29: At least 1,002 were killed, 2,376 were injured, and 30 remained missing in the earthquake that rattled Myanmar, according to the Information Team of Myanmar’s State Administration Council on Saturday.

Rescue efforts have intensified in Myanmar despite severe disruptions to transportation and communication networks following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday afternoon.

The quake, which originated near Sagaing, triggered 12 aftershocks ranging from 2.8 to 7.5 in magnitude, further worsening conditions in the affected areas.

The devastation has been widespread, with Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Nay Pyi Taw among the hardest-hit regions, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Myanmar government has declared a national emergency as emergency responders work tirelessly to assist those in need.

A critical transport link, the Yangon-Mandalay highway, suffered severe damage near Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay, making relief operations challenging.

People have resorted to using the older Yangon-Mandalay road to arrive at the quake-hit areas and facilitate rescue efforts. Additionally, the collapse of buildings in Mandalay Airport and sections of the highway has further disrupted travel between Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar’s two largest cities.

Rescue teams, including fire service personnel from lower Myanmar, have arrived at the severely affected areas like Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. However, damaged infrastructure, power outages, and disruptions to phone and internet services have complicated relief efforts.

International assistance has begun arriving. A Chinese rescue team landed in Yangon on Saturday morning to support Myanmar’s emergency response and provide aid to affected communities.

As authorities and rescue teams work around the clock to assist those impacted by the disaster, Myanmar faces the daunting task of recovering from one of its most powerful earthquakes in recent history.

With critical infrastructure damaged and essential services disrupted, coordinated relief efforts are urgently needed to help survivors rebuild their lives.

Myanmar leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has called for humanitarian assistance from both local and international communities. On Saturday morning, Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Mandalay to facilitate the rescue operations.

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