Death toll climbs to 62
THANE (TIP): The death toll in the sevenstorey building collapse has mounted to 62 even as rescuers continued to scour the site for more bodies and survivors, the disaster control room said on April 5. According to regional disaster management control (RDMC) sources, 62 people including 30 women were killed in the tragedy while around 36 injured have been admitted to hospitals in Thane, Kalwa and Mumbra.

The seriously injured have been shifted to JJ and Sion Hospitals in Mumbai. A 65-year-old woman, identified as Kutibi Shaikh, was rescued after being trapped for almost 30 hours, they said. She was admitted to the CSM hospital here last night in a state of shock but is stable, doctors attending on her said. At the collapse site, another survivor Shabnam told reporters that she had received a distress call on her mobile phone from a young teacher around 3pm yesterday saying that she was trapped along with sixseven students, but lost contact thereafter. The fate of the teacher and students is still not known as relief operations.

Heartbreaking tales like a male survivor losing 13 of his family members have unfolded, as rescuers looked for survivors and bodies in the debris of bricks, mortar and twisted steel. Earlier, the national disaster response force, pressed into service to assist the local police and civic administration, had rescued 59 people.

A case has been registered against builders Salil and Khalil Jamadar under Sec 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC but no arrests have been made so far in the case, police control room said. Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had yesterday told the Maharashtra assembly that the local deputy municipal commissioner and senior police inspector were suspended. An additional chief secretary level probe has been ordered, he said. The illegal structure, which was underconstruction, collapsed in Shil Phata area at around 6.30PM on Thursday. Shil Phata is located between Mumbra and Dombivli in Thane district.