Narrow escape for 3 kids as floor collapses in Vashi flat

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has offered to shift the families residing in the two affected apartments to Rajasthan Bhavan

NAVI MUMBAI: Three children aged between 10 years and 14 years had a narrow escape on Friday as a large part of the ceiling above their two-bedroom apartment in a posh locality in Vashi collapsed, leaving cracks on their floor. The collapse was likely caused due to workers using a powerful vibrator to remove concrete from the floor above, said officials. While the workers fled the spot and were reportedly not injured, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has offered to shift the families residing in the two affected apartments to Rajasthan Bhavan.

Navi Mumbai, India - April 5, 2024:Slab of 2nd floor collapse on first floor at Sudama CHS, sector-29, Vashi, in Navi Mumbai, India, on Friday, April 5, 2024. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

The incident occurred at around 4pm at plot number 49 in sector 29, in the Sudama Cooperative Housing Society. The six-storied building, constructed ten years ago, comprises two-bedroom flats, each measuring 700 sqft.

Rajvir Gaikwad, 14, one of the three children, was sleeping in one of the bedrooms of the first-floor apartment when his younger brother Aryaveer, 10, rushed in to inform him about the collapse.

“My brother Aryaveer and his friend Ajit (Bhalerao, 14) were playing in the living room when they heard a loud sound and saw cracks in the ceiling, which scared them. Ajit ran out of the house and Aryaveer rushed inside the bedroom to inform me. Meanwhile the entire ceiling came crashing down,” said Rajvir.

Their parents were away at work at the time, he said, adding, “Fortunately, none of us were hurt.”

Other residents of the building and members of the housing society refused to speak about the incident.

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde visited the spot soon after the incident with top civic officials and former MLA and Navi Mumbai BJP chief Sandeep Naik. Fire personnel too rushed to the spot.

NMMC city engineer Sanjay Desai said a structural audit of the building was conducted four months ago, and the report showed it was not in a dilapidated state.

“The incident likely occurred due to the mistake of three labourers who were working in the flat above. They were using a powerful vibrator to remove concrete from the floor, which causes a lot of impact. This likely led to the floor collapsing,” he said.

The three workers too came down with the floor and fled the spot. “They were not hurt as the floor did not come down all of a sudden, but gradually,” said Desai, adding that only two flats had been affected and the civic body had offered to shift the affected families to Rajasthan Bhavan if they did not have any place for temporary residence.

“We will be taking action as per the law after getting all details of the work and the flouting of norms, if any,” Desai stated.