Two killed in city as wall collapses

The monsoon may not have arrived, but rains have already claimed their first victims in Mumbai. On Tuesday, the city saw two incidents of wall collapse, in which two children were killed and three others injured. In both cases, the walls demarcated properties that belonged to the BMC.

The monsoon may not have arrived, but rains have already claimed their first victims in Mumbai. On Tuesday, the city saw two incidents of wall collapse, in which two children were killed and three others injured. In both cases, the walls demarcated properties that belonged to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

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Two girls — Nandini Devindra (6) and Reema Nadar (12) — died on the spot when a wall around the BMC’s Rawli camp reservoir at Antop Hill collapsed on them while they were returning home from the public toilet adjacent to the wall. A third person, Jaya Devendra (30), was injured.

Sanjay Kurhade, F-north ward officer, said: “The brick wall was weakened by the continuous dumping of garbage.”

In another incident, two boys were injured when a wall collapsed at Patel Compound in Bhandup (West). While one of them — Gautam Dhikle (8) —was discharged from the hospital by evening, Tushar Shirsath (12) sustained a leg fracture and had to be operated.

The wall was built by the BMC. “It collapsed due to water accumulation,” said a BMC engineer.