Approximately 130 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the fire brigade teamed up through the night to extricate individuals ensnared beneath a collapsed hoarding at a petrol pump on Police ground, Ghatkopar.
Negotiating through the debris, they meticulously navigated the skeletal remnants of the hoarding, successfully rescuing 88 individuals, both alive and deceased, by the early hours of 5 am. The incident unfolded on a fateful Monday afternoon, with individuals either seeking refuge from pre-monsoon rains or arriving for vehicle refills at the petrol station. While some managed to evade harm, others found themselves trapped within vehicles or directly under the metal sheet of the toppled hoarding. Throughout the night, distraught family members of the victims congregated at the scene, clutching images of their loved ones and hoping for a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. By midnight, the deployment of two 500-ton cranes, redirected from nearby metro work sites, accelerated rescue operations. Carefully lifting sections of the collapsed structure, responders braved manual efforts to locate and retrieve the deceased, halting operations each time a body was detected nearby to mitigate fire risks.
As dawn approached, strategies evolved, with focus shifting towards delicately cutting through heavy hoarding girders to access the underlying wreckage of vehicles and the petrol pump. Hydraulic cutters were meticulously employed to prevent sparks, given the potential ignition risks posed by stored fuel. Simultaneously, efforts were made to drain petrol from the pump, while water and fire-resistant foam were applied for added precaution. Despite assurances that no survivors remained trapped, rescue teams continued their meticulous efforts, employing cutters and excavators to clear debris until the afternoon. The night’s exhaustive efforts revealed no further survivors, with the aftermath marked by the sombre presence of vehicle remnants scattered beneath the rubble.
