'Felt tremors as debris came crashing down'

One of the families living in an apartment adjacent to the three-storey Soona building in Zoroastrian Colony in Tardeo, where a slab collapse on Tuesday morning that led to the death of Humayun Barucha, 78, and injured a housemaid, Veena, 40, said they were shocked after they felt sudden tremors.

One of the families living in an apartment adjacent to the three-storey Soona building in Zoroastrian Colony in Tardeo, where a slab collapse on Tuesday morning that led to the death of Humayun Barucha, 78, and injured a housemaid, Veena, 40, said they were shocked after they felt sudden tremors.

HT Image

While speaking to HT, 27-year-old Hanoz Shroff said, "It began when we felt the ground shaking, followed by a loud crashing noise. The ground-floor apartment where the debris was scattered was locked. We could not wait for the rescue team, and hence, I broke the lock open and went in after informing the police about the mishap. When I entered the room, I saw Veena lying injured. I pulled her out and then began searching for Humayun."

Shroff said that the Suna building is one of the oldest structures in the colony, standing since last 100 years. "The building is not in a proper condition and we had cautioned the trustees about its worsening condition, but they paid no heed to the continuous requests," added Shroff.

A 59-year-old resident requesting anonymity said, "The Barucha family had written to the trustees in March stating that the building is not in a healthy condition and that it needs immediate repair. But no action was taken."

The Gamdevi police have registered a case of accidental death following Bharucha's death and further probe is underway.