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Raigad building collapse toll at 16, rescue ops end
The toll from the building collapse at Mahad in Maharashtra’s Raigad district went up to 16 on Wednesday as all the missing people were accounted for with the recovery of the last body from the debris, rescuers said.
On Wednesday, Mehrunissa Abdul Kazi, 60, and four-year-old boy Mohammad Bangi were pulled out alive, but Bangi’s two sisters and mother were found dead. Officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said the boy was rescued after 19 hours and Kazi after 27 hours of the collapse on Monday. They added that nine people were found alive while 16 bodies were recovered from the site.
NDRF public relations officer Sachinand Gawade said they are carrying out a final search to ensure that nobody is buried, although the administration said all missing people have been traced.
The Mahad police on Tuesday booked five people, including the builder of the building, for the collapse. The building had 40 flats and was occupied in 2013 after a two-year construction period.
District collector Nidhi Chaudhari said most residents ran out of the building as it started shaking. She added that as a result, most survived. Chaudhari said around 95 people lived in the building and 75 of them managed to get away when the structure came crashing down.
Maharashtra rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who died and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
His ministerial colleague, Eknath Shinde, visited the site and directed the police to act against all those responsible for the collapse. “We will not spare anyone responsible for the building collapse. Information is being gathered on whether the structural audit of this building was conducted or not.”
District guardian minister Aditi Tatkare said a committee will be formed to probe the incident. “The committee will probe how and why this happened. At the same time, the structural audit of other buildings will be carried out to prevent similar incidents.”