Twelve people were killed and at least 60 injured in Mumbai after a billboard collapsed during a fierce storm. The signage collapsed at a petrol station in the city’s east, trapping dozens of people underneath. An excavator was brought in to dig through the wreckage as rescuers worked to find any survivors.
Eight bodies had already been removed from the wreckage, according to Gaurav Chauhan, an inspector with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Four more bodies are still buried inside the debris, with rescuers having located them but unable to remove them due to the hazardous situation at the petrol pump.
Authorities stated that 60 people had been rescued and admitted to hospital earlier. The incident has raised questions about the safety of billboards and other structures in Mumbai, as such collapses are unfortunately not uncommon in the city. The incident serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of ensuring the stability and integrity of structures in a densely populated urban area like Mumbai.
As the rescue operation continued, emergency responders and medical personnel worked tirelessly to care for the injured and recover the bodies of those who had lost their lives in the tragedy. The collapse of the billboard during the storm has highlighted the need for stronger safety regulations and enforcement measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
The incident has sparked a debate about the responsibility of authorities and private companies in maintaining the safety of structures like billboards, which can pose a significant danger to public safety when they collapse. It has also raised concerns about the impact of severe weather events on infrastructure in Mumbai, a city that is often vulnerable to heavy rains and storms during the monsoon season.
As the people of Mumbai mourned the loss of those killed in the billboard collapse, questions were raised about the need for stricter building codes and regular safety inspections to prevent similar tragedies from happening again. The city’s authorities will likely face pressure to take action to improve the safety of structures like billboards and ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future.
