Raigad building collapse: 2 dead, 16 still feared trapped

Three teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel along with district authorities are sifting through the rubble for the missing people.

Hours after a five-storeyed building collapsed in Mahad town of Raigad district, rescue operations continued on Tuesday morning with police saying 16 persons are still missing with two persons have died in the incident.

Rescue workers search for survivors in the debris after a five-storey building collapsed in Raigad district of Maharashtra. (REUTERS)

According to Raigad District Superintendent of Police Anil Paraskar, one person died after he was hit by stone from the falling building while the search for 19 were still on as three teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with local administration were trying to sift through the rubble.

While the administration had earlier claimed there could over 50 persons trapped, the police after 40 per cent of debris removed said those trapped under rubble may be less.

The building identified as Tariq Garden in Kajalpura area of Mahad collapsed at around 7 pm on Moday, leading to initial chaos for some time. one of the victim died in the tragedy wasn’t the resident of the building, but was walking nearby when it collapsed and was hit by a stone from the falling debris.

Raigad district collector Nidhi Choudhari said there were total 41 flats in the building of which 18 were vacant. “When the building collapsed, around 60 people were out, saving many lives,” said Choudhari.