THANE: Three members of a family suffered injuries after the ceiling of their flat in a ground-plus seven-storey building caved in in Naupada area, local authorities said on Monday.
Two neighbours, who were trapped in the flat above, were rescued by civic officials.
The corporation has ordered a probe into the incident and evacuated 33 families from the structure as a precautionary measure.
The incident was reported around 10am in the first-floor flat of Suryawanshis in the roughly 25-year-old Amar Tower building located in the Bhaskar colony area of the city.
The injured have been identified as Vijaya Suryawanshi (54), Prathamesh (24) and his 14-year-old sibling.
“There was a huge sound following which the ceiling of the flat came crashing down. Luckily, the Suryawanshis managed to rush to the adjoining rooms but escaped with injuries. The situation could have been worse if the rubble would have collapsed on them,” Avinash Sawant, chief at the regional disaster management cell, Thane, said.
The residents of the flat above the Suryawanshis also had a narrow escape as there was no one in the room at the time of the incident.
The fire brigade successfully rescued a 60-year-old man residing above the Suryawanshi family, as well as a 24-year-old resident who were both trapped in their flats without access to the exit. They were brought down to safety by the fire brigade using ladders, as reported by Sawant.
Meanwhile, alert neighbours said they heard a huge noise and thought some building had collapsed.
“We saw a huge volume of dust cloud coming out of the first floor flat and rushed upstairs to see the ceiling collapsed. We tried to break open the door and free the residents while others alerted the rescue officials,” a neighbour said.
Local activists said the incident was a wake-up call for residents who should now ensure a structural audit of their respective buildings.
“The area has several old buildings, most of which need a safety audit irrespective of their age. The corporation should take this as a wake-up call and take timely action to avert any disaster during the rainy season,” BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar said.
Two neighbours, who were trapped in the flat above, were rescued by civic officials.
The corporation has ordered a probe into the incident and evacuated 33 families from the structure as a precautionary measure.
The incident was reported around 10am in the first-floor flat of Suryawanshis in the roughly 25-year-old Amar Tower building located in the Bhaskar colony area of the city.
The injured have been identified as Vijaya Suryawanshi (54), Prathamesh (24) and his 14-year-old sibling.
“There was a huge sound following which the ceiling of the flat came crashing down. Luckily, the Suryawanshis managed to rush to the adjoining rooms but escaped with injuries. The situation could have been worse if the rubble would have collapsed on them,” Avinash Sawant, chief at the regional disaster management cell, Thane, said.
The residents of the flat above the Suryawanshis also had a narrow escape as there was no one in the room at the time of the incident.
The fire brigade successfully rescued a 60-year-old man residing above the Suryawanshi family, as well as a 24-year-old resident who were both trapped in their flats without access to the exit. They were brought down to safety by the fire brigade using ladders, as reported by Sawant.
Meanwhile, alert neighbours said they heard a huge noise and thought some building had collapsed.
“We saw a huge volume of dust cloud coming out of the first floor flat and rushed upstairs to see the ceiling collapsed. We tried to break open the door and free the residents while others alerted the rescue officials,” a neighbour said.
Local activists said the incident was a wake-up call for residents who should now ensure a structural audit of their respective buildings.
“The area has several old buildings, most of which need a safety audit irrespective of their age. The corporation should take this as a wake-up call and take timely action to avert any disaster during the rainy season,” BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar said.