Mumbai building collapse: One arrested as death toll crosses 60, several still feared trapped

Mumbai: The death toll in the Mazgaon building collapse has risen to 61 while 32 others are injured. As rescuers race against time to find survivors under the debris, the real picture of the tragedy is unfolding as families cope to struggle with the loss. The human tragedy of the collapse is unbearable for many.

Among those who have died is 30-year-old journalist Yogesh Anant Pawar, who worked for the Marathi daily Sakal. Originally from Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district, Yogesh had come to Mumbai to work as a journalist. While Yogesh's father's body was pulled out earlier, his body was pulled out this afternoon. Santosh Kamble, Yogesh's brother-in-law told reporters, "He used to live with his father here. His mother, his brothers and his sister have arrived from the village."

As precious hours pass away, chances of finding survivors are fading. Miraculously, even after 24 hours, some survivors were pulled out by the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF. Sachidanand Gawde, Deputy Commandant of the NDRF, said, "We are using victim locating cameras and we have used it locate him and find his exact position. We have used an airlifting bag to lift the slab he is trapped under."

The question now on everyone's mind is, could this tragedy have been averted? The building is owned by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC itself and was listed for major repairs by its own officers. Unfortunately, these repairs were never carried out. The Mayor of Mumbai has promised an inquiry into the delay of repairs and said that anyone found responsible will be dealt with in the strictest manner.

A decorator who had a godown on the ground floor has now been arrested and sent to police custody till Tuesday for alleged illegal alterations. He has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

But that is hardly any compensation for those who have lost everything they had. This is the seventh building to have collapsed in the last six months in Mumbai and Thane and hundreds of lives have been lost. But the most important question is, with nearly 950 very dangerous buildings in Mumbai alone, how many more collapses will it take for authorities to act?