Mumbai: Two Women Injured in Byculla Slab Collapse; Thane Sees Partial Building Collapse Amid Monsoon Warnings

Mumbai, May 29 : In a concerning reminder of the city’s aging infrastructure, two women were injured on Wednesday after a slab from a five-storey building collapsed in Mumbai’s Byculla area. The incident occurred in the Emarta locality during the day, prompting an immediate response from the Mumbai Fire Brigade and Agripada Police.

The injured women were quickly rushed to the civic-run Nair Hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment. The Mumbai Fire Department has confirmed that a probe has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of the collapse.

This mishap comes just a day after a similar incident in Thane, where a section of a decades-old residential structure partially gave way, though thankfully without causing any injuries. The incident occurred at Nandadeep Building, located in Kisan Nagar, Wagle Estate, around 2:25 am on Tuesday.

According to officials from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), the building was more than 50 years old and had been previously classified as dangerous under the C2B category, following a structural audit. The C2B classification denotes buildings that are structurally unsafe and require urgent repairs or demolition.

The collapse involved a part of the third-floor roof and stair gallery, which gave way while residents were still inside the building. In a prompt response, emergency teams including the fire brigade and disaster response units evacuated all 17 families from the structure. Two nearby buildings were also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Yasin Tadvi, head of TMC’s disaster management cell, highlighted the critical need for proactive evacuation from structurally unsafe buildings. “All emergency teams, including fire services and municipal staff, reached the location on time and ensured the safety of all residents,” he said.

The incidents have reignited long-standing concerns over aging and dilapidated buildings in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). As per civic records, Thane alone has 4,407 structures classified as dangerous, with Mumbra accounting for the highest number at 1,343 buildings.

With the monsoon season approaching, municipal authorities have once again urged residents living in buildings marked as dangerous to cooperate with evacuation drives and consider temporary relocation for their own safety.