#Mumbai Billboard Collapse : Death Toll Rises To 14 ; 74 Injured ; Police Commissioner Promises Stringent Action

The death toll in the Billoboard collapse incident in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area has risen to 14 while 74 people are injured, civic officials said on Tuesday morning.

According to PTI, Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has said stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the hoarding collapse incident in the city.

In a post on his official X handle on Monday, Phansalkar said, ‘Heartfelt condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate mishap at Ghatkopar. @MumbaiPolice team is on the spot in the rescue operation. We assure citizens that stringent legal action will be taken against those responsible for this mishap.’

A case has been registered against Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of M/s Ego Media Private Limited and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at Pant Nagar police station, another official said.

The 100-foot-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains that lashed Mumbai on Monday.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, search and rescue operations were going on at the Chheda Nagar-based petrol pump on Tuesday morning.

Of the injured, 31 people have been discharged from Rajawadi Hospital, a BMC official said.

The search and rescue operation is underway, the official said.

NDRF has deployed two teams for the operation being carried out with Mumbai Fire Brigade and other agencies.

The condition of one of the injured persons admitted to the Rajawadi Hospital is critical, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

At least 12 fire engines and other vehicles have been involved in the search and operation since around 4.50 pm on Monday.

Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), comprising 100 personnel, also joined the operation at 7.10 pm on Monday evening, he said. According to the BMC official, two heavy duty cranes and two hydra cranes are being used in the operation for the search and rescue along with two JCBs, two gas cutter teams, 25 ambulances.