At least 12 killed as buildings collapse amid Mumbai’s third worst July rain since 2015
Two separate cases of building collapse killed 12 people in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, July 16, 2020. The disasters occurred as the city recorded its second-highest July precipitation this monsoon season and its third-worst since 2015– with 191.2 mm (7.5 inches) of rain in a 24-hour period to Thursday morning.
In the Fort area, a six-story residential building collapsed amid heavy rains, killing several residents. The National Disaster Response Force worked overnight to retrieve bodies out of the debris.
Nine of the victims have been identified, the youngest being aged 17 and oldest at 62 years old. The tenth fatality is yet to be named.
According to locals, the building's landlord and tenants had decided to repair the structure earlier this year, but the plan was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Friday, search and rescue operations are ongoing for more missing tenants. The NDRF team utilized cameras and machinery to lift heavy debris.
The building, which was built during the British era, had 40 tenanted premises for both residential and commercial purposes, 12 of which were reduced to rubbles in the collapse.
In a separate tragedy, two people– including one child– lost their lives as a portion of a three-story tenement collapsed in Mumbai's western suburb of Malad. Several people who sustained injuries were taken to the hospital and were discharged after treatment.
The disasters happened as the city witnessed its second-highest July precipitation this monsoon season and the third-highest since 2015, with 191.2 mm (7.5 inches) of rain recorded in a 24-hour period to Thursday morning, July 16, according to the Santacruz observatory of the India Meteorological Department. Of this, 110 mm (4.3 inches) was recorded between 20:30 LT on July 15 and 08:30 LT on July 16. From 08:30 LT to 20:30 LT, the city recorded 149.2 mm (5.8 inches).
Between 08:30 LT on Tuesday, July 14 and 17:30 LT on Thursday, July 16, Mumbai recorded 417 mm (16.4 inches) of rain, bringing the city's July total to 1 170 mm (46 inches).
Featured image credit: Hindustan Times/YouTube
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