Mumbai billboard collapse death toll mounts to 14; case registered against ad agency

The death toll in the hoarding collapse incident in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area has risen to 14 while 74 people are injured, civic officials said on Tuesday morning.

The 100-foot-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains that lashed Mumbai on Monday.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, search and rescue operations were going on at the Chheda Nagar-based petrol pump on Tuesday morning.

Of the injured, 31 people have been discharged from Rajawadi Hospital, a BMC official said.

The search and rescue operation is underway, the official said. NDRF has deployed two teams for the operation being carried out with Mumbai Fire Brigade and other agencies.

NDRF inspector Gaurav Chauhan told news agency AFP that eight bodies have already been recovered after excavators dug through the wreckage to rescue those trapped inside under the collapsed billboard. Four more bodies were still buried inside the rubble, he said. “We have located them but we cannot remove them due to this petrol pump and the situation can be hazardous,” he said.

Case registered

Mumbai police registered a case against the owner of Ego Media and others after a hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar area on Monday, killing eight persons, an official said.

The owner, Bhavesh Bhinde, and others were booked under sections 304 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt to another person by acting rashly or negligently) of the Indian Penal Code.

The case has been registered at Pantnagar police station and the investigation is underway, he said.

CM Shinde visits spot

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site of the collapse and assured that his government would conduct a structural audit of all hoardings in the city.

"The hoardings, if found illegal and dangerous, would be removed immediately," he said. "It is a very unfortunate incident. The government will probe it, and the people responsible will face action. I have also asked the BMC commissioner to conduct a structural audit of all the hoardings in the city. Those found illegal and dangerous will be removed."

The chief minister also announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each person killed in the hoarding collapse.

Top cop assures strict action

Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has said stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the hoarding collapse incident in the city.

Phansalkar visited the spot late Monday evening where he spoke to reporters and assured of action against those responsible for the incident.

In a post on his official X handle on Monday, Phansalkar said, "Heartfelt condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate mishap at Ghatkopar. @MumbaiPolice team is on the spot in the rescue operation. We assure citizens that stringent legal action will be taken against those responsible for this mishap."

A case has been registered against Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of M/s Ego Media Private Limited and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at Pant Nagar police station, another official said.

Search and rescue operations were going on at the Chheda Nagar-based petrol pump on Tuesday morning, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials.

The billboard was illegal and no permission was taken to install it, as per civic officials.

Hoarding was illegal: BMC

Speaking to media persons after visiting the disaster control room at the civic headquarters, Mumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said the hoarding was illegal as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had not given permission (for erecting it).

"It was an illegal hoarding. The location where the incident occurred has four hoardings set up on the railway land and one of them has collapsed. The BMC had been objecting to (setting up) hoardings for one year," the civic chief said.

He said the civic body would issue a notice for immediate removal of the hoarding and lodge a criminal complaint against the landholding authority and the owner of the billboard.

"The Railways has permitted to erect the hoarding," Gagrani claimed.

According to BMC officials, the hoarding measuring 120 x 120 feet crashed on the petrol pump at around 4:30 pm.

An official said the civic body doesn't permit any hoarding measuring above 40 x 40 feet.

He said the Mumbai civic body lodged an FIR on May 19, 2023, in connection with the poisoning of eight trees at the location near Chheda Nagar junction to increase the visibility of the concerned hoarding.

"We had repeatedly raised the issue for action," he claimed and added that the Licence Department of the BMC had also issued a notice.

Probe ordered

A police official said out of the three persons injured in the metal tower collapse incident at Pooja Junction in Wadala, one was admitted to a private hospital and two others in the civic-run Sion Hospital.

“The collapsed metal structure is being removed with gas cutters and it will take time," he said, adding that vehicular traffic in the area is diverted and police are deployed at the spot.

An inquiry is being conducted and appropriate legal action will be taken, the official said.

While the rainfall brought relief to the residents of Mumbai and its adjoining area from the heat, the sudden change in weather brought traffic to a standstill as commuters took shelter during the storm.

(With inputs from agencies)