40 families rescued minutes before Mumbai building collapses

MUMBAI – The Mumbai fire brigade rescued at least 40 families residing in a dilapidated building barely minutes before it came crashing down Sunday evening.

According to an official, the fire brigade responded to frantic calls around 3 p.m. from the Ahmedi Manzil, a 60-year old four-storeyed building in Bhendi Bazar area of southMumbai.

Five fire engines and an ambulance were rushed to the spot as some residents found cracks developing quickly in the building.

As a precautionary measure, the fire brigade ordered immediate evacuation of all the families in the building.

Even as the residents were shifted to a safe location and the area was cordoned off, the building came crashing down around 4.30 p.m. The quick action by the fire brigade ensured that there were no casualties in the incident.

The shocked residents told mediapersons that the two earthquake tremors felt Saturday evening could have led to the building collapsing.

Last evening, Mumbai and large parts of western Maharashtra and Konkan experienced a mild earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale. The same region Nov 14 notched a mild quake measuring 4.8.

Ahmedi Manzil, owned by the state agency Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority, was under maintenance and repairs since the past few months.

According to some reports, there were some illegal constructions on the top floors of the building.

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