Toddler among 6 killed after concrete slab collapses in Kalyan building; six injured

Indian Express

20-05-2025

Six people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl were killed and at least six others were injured after a concrete slab came crashing down from the top floor of a ground-plus-four-storey residential building in Kalyan East on Tuesday. The structure was evacuated after the mishap and families were shifted to a shelter in a nearby school.
According to officials, the incident was reported around 2 pm at Saptashringi building in J ward's Chiknipada area in Kalyan. According to KDMC officials, a slab on the fourth floor of the building collapsed, during internal repair works.
Chief fire officer, KDMC, Namdeo Choudhary, said the repair work was on the fourth floor of the building.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Abhinav Goel, KDMC commissioner, said, 'As the slab on the fourth floor collapsed, it affected other floors… The left portion of the building collapsed in the impact, while the rest of the building remained intact. As soon as we received the information, we launched rescue operations,'
The KDMC deployed its fire brigade personnel along with personnel from the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) for rescue work. At least 12 people were inside the building at the time of the incident, of which six died and six were injured.
The deceased have been identified as Sushila Gujjar (78), Namsvi Shrikant Shelar (1.5), Venkat Chavan (32), Sunita Sahu (38), Pramila Sahu (56) and Sujata Padi (32). One-and-a-half-year-old Namasvi Shelar was the youngest of the victims.
The injured were identified as V Nayak Padi, Shravil Shelar, Aruna Girnarayan, Yash Kshirsagar, Nikhil Kharat and Shraddha Sahu, of which three are minors. They were admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased. Taking to social media, Fadnavis wrote, 'The district administration is closely monitoring the situation, and the injured are in a stable condition. I pray for their speedy recovery. The families of the deceased will receive financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh from the State Government.'
The building was part of a cluster complex, located in a congested area surrounded by slums. According to Goel, the building was nearly 25 years old and and instructions had been given to conduct structural audits in the past as a part of the routine pre-monsoon drive.
'Ahead of monsoon, we direct all the buildings to conduct a structural audit. This building, too, was issued a notice for the same,' added the KDMC commissioner.
The rescue operations were called off around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, after the rubble was cleared.
This season, at least 513 buildings have been identified as dangerous and high risk in the KDMC jurisdiction.