Eight dead, 59 injured as a 'huge billboard' falls in Mumbai dust storm
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![Photo: Collected](https://imaginary.barta24.com/resize?width=1280&quality=75&type=webp&path=uploads/news/2024/May/14/1715649522350.jpg)
Photo: Collected
Eight people died after being buried under a huge billboard in Ghatkopar, the capital of Maharashtra state of India, in a strong dust storm. 59 people were injured. And 67 people were rescued alive, according to Mumbai police.
The country's media reported the accident on Monday (May 13), NDTV.
According to the report, around 4:30 pm on Monday, a strong storm suddenly darkened the sky in Mumbai. Before you know it, the dust storm starts. A huge metal advertisement board was uprooted in Ghatkopar area due to the storm. Many were buried under the collapsed billboard.
Several videos of this incident have been released. They showed an advertising billboard collapsing over a petrol pump; Due to which the roof of the petrol pump collapsed. Some cars standing at the petrol pump were also crushed. The metal structure of the billboard penetrated the roofs of many cars. After calculating the size, the police said that many people may be buried under the billboard.
Swapnil Khupte, an eyewitness to the incident, told news agency ANI, "I was there when the billboard fell in the dust storm. The place was already crowded with cars, bikes and people. As a result, they all got stuck after the billboard fell. We were trying to rescue the trapped people. But we couldn't find them." We couldn't figure it out."
According to the police, members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on the spot. Rescue operations are underway for survivors trapped under the debris.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shindhe said, rescuing people is our first goal. The government will take responsibility for the treatment of those injured. And the families of those who lost their lives will be given Tk. 5 lakh.
He also said that the authorities concerned have been instructed to check such billboards in Mumbai.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Farnavis said in a post on X that the state government has ordered an investigation to find out how the incident happened.
A warning was issued by the Maharashtra Meteorological Department shortly before the storm hit on Monday afternoon. Residents of Mumbai, Palghar and Thane were warned of any major change in weather. A few minutes after that, the city of Mumbai was destroyed by the storm.
As a result, all traffic in the city came to a standstill. The storm also uprooted many trees and electricity poles in Mumbai. Rail and metro services also stopped. Meanwhile, the billboard in Ghatkopar also collapsed due to the storm.