Terrace slab collapses in Kalwa, 12 families evacuated

All 12 families residing in a two-storey building were evacuated and moved to a municipal school nearby by safety reasons. The civic administration will reassess the structural stability of the building before allowing the residents back into their homes

THANE: All 12 families residing in a two-storey building were rendered shelterless after they were evacuated when a portion of the terrace slab on the second floor collapsed on Wednesday around 1.30 pm.

The terrace slab of two storey Sai Sapna Building, a 35 to 40 years old building in Kalwa’s Kharegaon in Thane, on the second floor collapsed on Wednesday. No casualties were reported. (Praful Gangurde/HT PHOTO)

The residents of Sai Sapna building at Kharegaon in Kalwa, Thane were rescued safely by the team of Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). No injuries were reported in the incident.

“I was having lunch with my family on the second floor of the building and suddenly there was a loud noise and the building began shaking. It was so scary that we left the food as it is and ran out with my children. Meanwhile others also rushed out thinking the whole building might collapse. It was very scary, “ said a resident, who requested anonymity of name.

As per the TMC records the building is 35 to 40 years old.

Soon after the incident, officials from the TMC, Torrent Power, the fire brigade, and the RDMC reached the spot and initiated evacuation of the residents as a safety measure. A fire tender, a rescue van, health staff, and an ambulance were sent to the spot.

“The residents who were occupying the building at the time of the incident were evacuated immediately for safety reasons and the building was sealed and people were prohibited from entering that area,” said Yasin M Tadvi, chief officer, RDMC.

The residents were shifted to TMC school no 67 on a temporary basis. A two-wheeler parked in the premises of the building was damaged in the incident. There are a total of 12 rooms in the building.

“The building is dangerous and hence we have asked people to stay away from it. Our team will do the needful after doing an audit of the structure or at least checking all the documents of the building,” said an officer of TMC, who did not wish to be named.

In May month the tmc revealed there are a total of 86 extremely dangerous buildings in the Thane Municipal area. 37 of those buildings have been evacuated. Whereas 49 buildings are occupied by citizens.