Mumbai:

Fourteen people died and over 70 were injured when a massive billboard collapsed during a fierce storm that battered Mumbai Monday evening.

The 100-foot billboard, situated opposite a fuel station in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai, succumbed to the ferocity of the storm, crashing down with alarming force, directly onto the fuel station below. CCTV footage from the area captured the metal structure tearing through the roofs of several cars before thudding on the ground.

Search and rescue mission is currently in progress. The NDRF has dispatched two teams to assist in collaboration with the Mumbai Fire Brigade and other involved agencies.

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The hoarding was erected by Ego Media on a plot which has been leased to the Police Welfare Corporation by the Maharashtra government’s Police Housing Division. There are four hoardings from Ego Media on the premises, one of which collapsed Monday evening. Mumbai Police registered a case against the owner of Ego Media, along with others implicated in the incident.

Although Ego Media was granted permission for all four hoardings, including the one that fell, by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Railways), no authorisation or No Objection Certificate (NOC) was obtained from the BMC before installation. Consequently, the BMC has issued a notice to the Railway Police’s ACP and the Railway Commissioner, demanding the cancellation of all permissions granted by the Railways and the removal of the hoardings.

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Mumbai last evening found itself besieged by a sudden and powerful dust storm which enveloped the metropolis in darkness, with residents taking to social media to share accounts of the unfolding chaos.

Transport networks bore the brunt of the storm’s fury, with local trains and airport services grinding to a halt in the face of the storm. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) was compelled to suspend flight operations temporarily, citing low visibility and gusty winds as the reasons.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued urgent warnings, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy rain for Mumbai and surrounding areas. 

While the unseasonal rain offered some respite from the sweltering heat, power outages in various districts, including Thane’s Kalwa, added further hardships for residents already grappling with the aftermath of the storm. Uprooted trees and structural damage were also reported from satellite towns such as Thane, Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan, and Ulhasnagar.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site of the collapse and assured that his government would conduct a structural audit of all hoardings in the city.  

“The hoardings, if found illegal and dangerous, would be removed immediately,” he said. “It is a very unfortunate incident. The government will probe it, and the people responsible will face action. I have also asked the BMC commissioner to conduct a structural audit of all the hoardings in the city. Those found illegal and dangerous will be removed.”

The Chief Minister also announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each person killed in the hoarding collapse.