Bhiwandi building collapse: Death toll rises to 4, rescue ops on

THANE [Maharashtra]: The death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse has risen to four on Sunday, said Thane Municipal Corporation official. The three-storey building collapsed in the Bhiwandi area in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday afternoon trapping several people under the debris.

"Death toll rises to four in the Bhiwandi building collapse incident in Thane, Maharashtra. Further rescue operations are underway," said a Thane Municipal Corporation official.

Earlier, a man was rescued by NDRF and TDRF after being trapped under the collapsed building for more than 20 hours. Meanwhile, teams of the Fire Brigade, Police, TDRF and NDRF are present on the spot to rescue people trapped in the debris.

Maharshtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the Indira Gandhi Hospital and met the people injured on Saturday night.

CM Shinde also visited the incident site and said that the rescue operation is underway and as many as 12 people have been rescued. He also inquired about the two children who survived the accident. The two children have been identified as Prem and Prince.

The CM has also instructed to provide medical treatment to the injured at government expense. Earlier on Saturday, he announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in the Bhiwandi building collapse, said an official statement.

CM Shinde also instructed the administration that the police, fire brigade, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other rescue teams should carry out the rescue work properly and the injured should be shifted to the hospitals immediately and the treatment should be started.