A whole family was nearly wiped out after a building collapse in Mumbai led to the death of nine of its members. Eleven people, including eight children, were killed and seven others injured after two floors of the three-storey building collapsed on a single-storey house in Malwani area late Wednesday night.
Mohammad Rafi, who had gone out to buy milk, could not believe his eyes when he returned to find his house lying in ruins and locals removing the debris from the spot. Gathering courage, Rafi began searching for his family members in the remains of what was his house only an hour ago. It was morning by the time it could be confirmed that he had lost his wife, brother, sister-in-law and six children from the two families, a report by Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar said.
The deceased have been identified as – Sahil Sarfaraz Sayyed (9), Arifa Sheikh (9), Shafiq Md Saleem Siddiqui (45), Tausif Shafiq Siddiqui (15), Aalisha Shafiq Siddiqui (10), Alfisa Shafiq Siddiqui (1.5 years), Hasina Shafik Siddiqui (6), Ishrat Bano Shafiq Siddiqui (40), Rahisa Bano Rafik Siddiqui (40), Tahes Safik Siddiqui (12) and John Irranna (13).
According to PTI, he is now left with his 16-year-old son, who also had a miraculous escape as had gone out to buy some medicine when the tragedy struck.
A shocked and broken Rafi, later, said he would have moved out of the house had he known the building was shaky. He was now left with the only option to try and salvage anything from the rubble that could remind him of his family members.
“We did not know that this building had become so weak, otherwise we could have left it long back,” he said. Rafi and his whole family were staying in the three small rooms on the third floor of this building.
The BMC had not declared this building, three to four families were staying, as dangerous. Two of the families had moved out of the building just a few days back. According to BMC sources, this building in the New Collector Compound on the Abdul Hamid Road had become shaky during Cyclone Tauktae that hit the West Coast last month. However, this building did not figure in the list of the ones declared unfit to live. Had this building been included in the hundreds of buildings audited by the BMC , this accident would not have claimed so many lives.
Expressing anger over the incident, BJP leader Ram Kadam has said that Shiv Sena is responsible for this accident. “This accident has happened due to the negligence of the BMC which is ruled by Shiv Sena. It is not accident, it is murder,” he said.
After the building collapsed, the government has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of the deceased. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray visited those injured in the incident. All the injured have been admitted to the Shatabdi Hospital.
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