Eight people dead as billboard collapses in Mumbai; 57 people rescued, says CM

MUMBAI: As many as 8 people died and over 50 people were injured after a billboard collapsed in Ghatkopar in Mumbai following heavy rain. The accident took place near a petrol pump near Chedda Nagar Gymkhana in Ghatkopar. Hundreds of people were there below the billboard when the accident took place at around 4.30 pm. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that 57 people were rescued and immediately admitted to the nearby Rajwadi Hospital for treatment.

The rainstorm was accompanied by gusty winds, causing the billboard, located next to a busy road in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar to collapse on some houses and a petrol pump. A rescue operation for the people remaining trapped under the billboard is ongoing. Fire services, police, disaster response officials and other authorities are all involved in the rescue efforts, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the civic body that runs Mumbai, said on X. It was a 100-foot tall billboard hoarding that collapsed due to the heavy rain and wind. Authorities said that the billboard was installed without permission.

News channels and posts on social media showed the towering billboard billowing in the wind for a while before it gave way and crashed to the ground.

The local weather department had predicted that moderate spells of rain, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 40-50 kilometers per hour were likely to occur in parts of Mumbai district on Monday.

The cities of Thane, Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan and Ullas Nagar adjacent to Mumbai also received wind and heavy rain. Many people were injured after the lift in a car parking area collapsed. The incident happened in Wadala. The fire force has reached the spot for rescue operations. Due to the rain and bad weather, Mumbai's train and flight services were also affected. Several flights to Mumbai were diverted due to poor visibility.