Hoarding collapse: Can't use gas cutters at petrol pump site for fear of blast, says NDRF official

At least 14 persons died, and 74 suffered injuries after a 100-feet-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in the Chheda Nagar area of Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains that lashed the city on Monday.

Two NDRF teams are engaged in the search and rescue operation along with the fire brigade, local disaster response teams, police, and dog squads.

Talking about the challenges faced by the rescue teams, assistant commandant of the NDRF Nikhil Mudholkar said the force has gasoline-powered cutter equipment and oxyfuel cutters, but the use of this equipment can result in a blast or fire as there is a petrol pump at the site.

The NDRF teams used two cranes weighing 500 tonnes each to pull up the hoarding from both sides and after creating a gap of about 3.5 to 4 feet, the rescuers crouched into the tiny space to look for people trapped underneath, he said.

The teams pulled out 88 people from under the fallen hoarding, and of these, 14 were declared dead, 31 injured persons were discharged from hospitals, and the remaining were undergoing treatment at various hospitals, Mudholkar said.

During the search last night, three girders of the hoarding were pulled using two hydraulic cranes, and nine people were found trapped inside some four-wheelers underneath, he said.

These nine people were rushed to the hospital, where they were declared dead before admission, the official said.

Efforts are underway to pull two more big girders using hydraulic cranes, and once this is done, the NDRF will be able to find out if more people are trapped inside, he said.