Maharashtra: At least 14 people die after hoarding falls due to heavy rain in Mumbai

At least 14 people have died in Mumbai after a hoarding crashed onto the ground on Monday, May 13, due to heavy rainfall and strong winds. Four more persons succumbed to injuries in hospital, the BMC Disaster Control said on Tuesday.

Around 43 people have been injured, some of them are critical, while more than 30 injured victims have been discharged after treatment. After a sudden dust storm accompanied by strong winds and followed by rains wreaked havoc in the city on Monday noon.

A gigantic advertising hoarding erected by a private party was uprooted and collapsed onto several homes, and a petrol pump in Pant Magar around 4 15 pm, injuring and trapping scores.

Till late Monday night, the Mumbai Fire Brigade, MDRF, and MMRDA teams managed to rescue more than 60 people trapped under the debris of the crashed hoarding.

Besides, in another tragedy, a multi-storeyed vertical steel parking lot crashed near Shreeji Towers in Wadala crushing a dozen vehicles.

At least two more persons were killed in other dust storm-related tragedies that disrupted road traffic and hit airport operations for 66 minutes.

Taking cognisance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered the BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and Mumbai Police to conduct a thorough investigation into the tragedy.

"I have also ordered the BMC authorities to carry out a special audit of all the hoardings in Mumbai and remove all the illegal ones from the city," Shinde told media persons while announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of all the deceased.