Belapur Building Collapse: One Dead, 50 Rescued, One Still Trapped

A four-storey building in Shahbaz village, Belapur, collapsed, resulting in one fatality, one person feared trapped, and two injuries. Approximately 50 residents were rescued from the 15-year-old building, which had an unauthorized additional floor, as reported by civic officials. The incident occurred around 4:20 am on Saturday, leading to the evacuation of two neighboring buildings.

Residents noticed signs of the impending collapse as early as 1 am. Satish Gaun, a resident, shared, “Two days ago, neighbours had mentioned that columns of the building had begun cracking. We hoped the building wouldn’t collapse as all of those residing are not well to do. However, from 1 am onwards there were repeated sounds of the walls developing cracks and portions of the building started falling apart. Fearing the building will not stand, most started leaving the flats gradually.”

The Navi Mumbai fire department dispatched multiple teams from Vashi, CBD, and Nerul fire stations to carry out rescue operations. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also participated in the rescue efforts.

Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Kailas Shinde commented, “This was supposed to be a ground plus three structure comprising 13 flats and three shops. A total of 52 persons including 13 kids were rescued. However, at the time of collapse, as per residents, there were two more persons who were not found.”

The building, intended to be a ground plus three structure, had an unauthorized additional floor. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) encroachment department is filing a First Information Report (FIR) against the developer.

Officials disclosed that a notice had been issued in 2015 regarding the unauthorized floor. “Prima facie, there is also no permission given for constructing any building within the gaothan region. Nevertheless, the process for checking whether the structure was illegal is already underway. A case is also being registered with the NRI police,” an official stated.