Mumbai: A devastating building collapse in Mumbai’s Mankhurd area claimed the lives of at least six people and left another injured on Sunday evening as relentless monsoon showers continued to batter the city. Rescue personnel worked through the night amid fears that more people could still be trapped beneath the rubble.
The incident occurred in Janta Nagar, where a multi-storey chawl suddenly collapsed around 8:30 pm. Teams from the fire brigade, police, civic authorities, and disaster response units rushed to the site and launched an extensive rescue operation using heavy equipment and manual search techniques.
Local representatives said two ageing buildings in the locality had been identified as unsafe earlier in the day, prompting several residents to vacate. However, some people reportedly returned later in the evening before one of the structures gave way.
Children were among the worst affected in the tragedy. According to local officials, one of the victims had come from a neighbouring house to play with friends shortly before the building collapsed.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the total number of people who may have been inside the structure at the time of the incident. Rescue teams continue to clear debris while emergency personnel remain on standby.
The collapse came on a day when Mumbai witnessed intense rainfall, causing widespread disruption across the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert, warning of extremely heavy showers. Several areas recorded exceptionally high rainfall, resulting in waterlogging, traffic congestion, and multiple incidents of fallen trees.
The severe weather also affected operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, where poor visibility and strong winds led to temporary disruptions. Several flights were delayed, diverted, or cancelled before normal operations gradually resumed.
In a separate rain-related incident, a 63-year-old man lost his life after a tree crashed onto a roadside shop in Kurla. The fatality has added to growing concerns over public safety as heavy monsoon conditions continue across the city.
Civic authorities have appealed to residents living in old or structurally weak buildings to cooperate with evacuation advisories, while an investigation has been initiated to determine the circumstances that led to the Mankhurd collapse. Rescue operations at the site were still underway at the time of the latest update.
