Maharashtra , 31 July : President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the Bhiwandi building collapse in Maharashtra and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
In a post on X, President Murmu described the tragedy as deeply distressing. She conveyed her sympathies to the affected families and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
Vice-President Radhakrishnan also expressed grief over the incident. He offered heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse rose to nine after National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams recovered more bodies from the debris.
Rescue operations continued amid fears that more people remained trapped beneath the rubble.
The incident occurred around 11:30 PM on Thursday when a section of the four-storey Kohinoor Building in Balaji Nagar collapsed during reported repair work.
The structure contained 48 rooms and had already been declared unsafe by the local civic authority.
Residents noticed loud cracking sounds around 9 PM and immediately began evacuating families.
However, the building’s ‘B’ wing collapsed before everyone could escape, prompting a massive rescue operation involving the NDRF, SDRF and other emergency agencies.
Survivors recounted scenes of panic as several residents jumped from the first floor to save themselves. Others sustained injuries while fleeing or searching for missing family members.
Rescue teams continued clearing debris with JCB machines and heavy equipment throughout the night.
Officials said darkness and the enormous volume of rubble slowed operations, but emergency personnel remained engaged in locating survivors and recovering those trapped.
