By Raju Vernekar
Raigad, Aug 25:
Three people have died and 16 are missing after a residential building
” Tariq Garden” located in Kajalpura area of Mahad in Raigad district in the Konkan region collapsed on Monday evening, even as the case was registered against the contractor of the building and four others, on charges of sub-standard construction on Tuesday.
Seventy eight people were rescued from the debris in the rescue operation which went on for over 15 hours, officials said. Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 teams of the fire brigade are at the spot.
The victims have been identified as Sayyed Samir (45),Naveed Zamane (35) Nausin Nadim Bangi (30). Four-year-old Mohamed Bangi who survived in the rubble for 19 hours after the building collapse, was rescued on Tuesday afternoon and was rushed to the local hospital.
The incident occurred at about 6.50 PM when the top three floors collapsed. Some residents managed to escape before it came down. The five-storey building, which was about 10 years old, had over 45 flats. The Raigad police has registered a case against the contractor of the building Yunus Shaikh and four others, under Sections 304, 304 A, 337, 338 and 34 IPC. A probe into the incident will begin after the rescue operations are over.
Two Maharashtra ministers – Aaditya Thackeray and Eknath Shinde – visited the site soon after the disaster on Monday night. The contractor is responsible for the disaster and a case has been registered against him. Also, if any government officials are involved in this, strict action will be taken against them, Shinde said.
“Saddened by the building collapse in Mahad, Raigad in Maharashtra. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their dear ones. I pray the injured recover soon. Local authorities and NDRF teams are at the site of the tragedy, providing all possible assistance,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office tweeted on Tuesday morning.
