A portion of an external slab collapsed at the 46-year-old Devki Apartment on Navghar Road in Bhayandar East around 2.30 am on Sunday, trapping five residents on the first floor and prompting their rescue by fire brigade personnel. No casualties were reported, and the building has since been vacated for demolition.
The incident occurred in the B wing of the two-storey building, which stands along the main road. The loud sound of the collapse triggered panic among residents in the surrounding neighbourhood, according to the report. The fire brigade and Navghar police reached the site after receiving information about the incident.
Fire officials said the five residents trapped on the first floor were safely evacuated using a staircase. The rescue operation ended without reported injuries or fatalities. The building’s evacuation means residents and commercial occupants will not be allowed to remain in the structure while further action is taken.
Devki Apartment was constructed in 1980 and contains 22 residential flats spread across two wings, along with 28 shops on the ground floor. The collapse therefore affected a mixed-use building with both residential and commercial occupants, located on a busy road in the Bhayandar area.
Fire brigade chief Prakash Borade said the building would be demolished after it was vacated. The immediate administrative response has consequently moved from rescue to securing the site and preventing further occupation of the damaged structure.
The incident has also raised questions about the condition-assessment process for ageing buildings. A structural audit conducted earlier had reportedly certified Devki Apartment as not being dangerous. The slab failure has brought renewed attention to whether such audits adequately identify risks in older buildings, particularly where external structural elements may deteriorate separately from the main frame.
The available report does not provide the date of the earlier audit, the agency that conducted it, the scope of its inspection or whether the external slab was specifically assessed. It also does not state whether any repair work had been recommended or carried out before the collapse. These details will be important in establishing how the building was assessed and what led to the failure.
The incident highlights the immediate safety challenge posed by ageing housing stock in established urban areas. Buildings constructed decades ago may contain residential homes, shops and shared access areas, making evacuation and demolition a disruption for multiple groups of occupants. In this case, the presence of 28 ground-floor shops adds a commercial dimension to the building’s closure.
Authorities have vacated the building and decided to demolish it. The next steps are expected to focus on securing the premises, completing the demolition process and determining the circumstances surrounding the slab collapse and the earlier structural audit.
