At Least 18 People Killed As Wall Collapses In India's Mumbai Due To Rains - Officials

At Least 18 People Killed as Wall Collapses in India's Mumbai Due to Rains - Officials

At least 18 people were killed and six injured after a wall fell in Mumbai amid heavy rains which were lashing out at the Indian most populous city for several consecutive days, disrupting traffic and wreaking havoc on roads, local media reported on Tuesday, citing officials

NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) At least 18 people were killed and six injured after a wall fell in Mumbai amid heavy rains which were lashing out at the Indian most populous city for several consecutive days, disrupting traffic and wreaking havoc on roads, local media reported on Tuesday, citing officials.

The tragedy took place on Tuesday morning when a compound wall in Malad suburb in the north of the city collapsed, trapping people who lived in slums near-by among the debris, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

"Our team of NDRF [the National Disaster Response Force] along with sniffer dog reached the site of the incident immediately after receiving the information. Besides, a team of fire brigade and local police also reached the spot and took the control of the situation," a senior official from the NDRF said, adding that all 18 victims lived in those slums.

The case is currently under investigation, according to the official.

"Rescue operation is underway and more details are awaited. The injured are in nearby civic hospital in Jogeshwari and Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali," he said.

The NDRF released photos on its Twitter account, showing the scale of destruction in the area. Rescuers are seen dismantling the collapsed wall and ruins under heavy rain.

According to the NDRF, at least three wall collapse incidents were recorded in Mumbai and the nearby western city of Pune due to the ongoing monsoon rains.