Raigad building collapse: After 19 hours under debris, 4-year-old survives

Officials said Mohammad Bangi was rushed to a nearby hospital and that he has suffered minor injuries

Rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) pulled out a four-year-old boy alive from the debris of a five-storeyed building almost 19 hours after it collapsed at Mahad near Mumbai on Monday. Officials said Mohammad Javed Bangi was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he asked for his mother, whose body was later retrieved from the rubble. They added the boy has suffered minor injuries.

NDRF personnel sift through the rubble with the help of a sniffer dog in search of survivors at the collapse site in Mahad in Raigad. (PTI)

His aunt, Rupasa, said the boy was trapped under the debris along with his two sisters and mother. “His three family members are still trapped under the rubble. I pray for everyone’s survival,” she said before the body of the boy’s mother was recovered.

The 10-year-old building collapsed on Monday evening and around 25 people were initially trapped. The rescuers have so far saved seven people while the search is still on for others.

Officials said the boy was rescued at 1:15 pm on Tuesday. They added he was found ensconced under the roof covered with debris.

Prajit Salunke of Salunke Rescue Team, a private group from Mahad, said the boy was under a collapsed piece of wall. “He smiled at us and it was a beautiful sight. The citizens and rescue workers clapped when he was rescued alive,” said Salunke.

District dollector Nidhi Chaudhary said despite the challenges, the administration supported by all the stakeholders did a good a job in rescuing the child. “We are doing our level best to remove the debris from the spot at the earliest.”