In what was potentially the longest rescue operation, the effort to extricate people from the debris of the Mumbai building collapse ended at 6.30 am on Sunday morning. It lasted for 48 hours and 30 minutes.
The toll in Friday's four-storey building crash mounted to 61, with eight more bodies recovered from the debris Sunday morning, authorities said.
Thirty-two people were injured, including four critically, and the search continues for rescuing a few more people who remain trapped under the debris, said the BMC Disaster Control department.
Yogesh Pawar (29), a journalist with Marathi daily Sakaal, and his father Anant Pawar, who lived in the building, died in the mishap.
Ashok Mehta, the owner of Mamamiya Decorators, who allegedly carried out faulty and unauthorised renovation at his rented office-cum-warehouse on the ground floor of the building has been arrested. It is suspected that the renovation led to the crash, Sewri police said.
The injured have been admitted to state-run J J Hospital and Nair Hospital. Seven bodies are yet to be identified.
The five-storey building, owned by the BMC itself and located on Brahmadev Khot Marg near the Dockyard Road railway station, collapsed around 6 am on Friday morning.
The building, which was built in 1980, had its ground floor leased to a decorator.
Cranes and other heavy machinery have been pressed into service to lift large slabs of concrete and mangled steel.
Around 21 families lived in the 30-year-old building, categorised as a C-2, which meant it needed repairs urgently.
While Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has promised strict action against those found responsible for the tragedy, BMC has formed two probe committees and ordered audit of buildings in similar condition.
The civic body has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for families of every deceased person.
Reports suggest that the building, which was on the eastern side of the railway station, was sent a notice for being in a dilapidated condition.
* Apart from Mumbai teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two additional teams of the NDRF from Talegaon have also been brought in.
* A local politician, who was also the corporator for the area, told a news channel that the building was 50-60 years old. But it had structural issues that led to its collapse. He also said he had been raising this issue with authorities and that the building had undergone repairs in 1997.
* Mumbai mayor Sunil Prabhu said that action will be taken against those found guilty. However, rescue operations are the priority at the moment.
* BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte and police commissioner Satyapal Singh on the site
* The BMC's Planning and Design Department was preparing the building for repairs
* Dr TP Lahane, dean JJ hospital, said: 8 injured have been brought to the hospital and the eight person's condition is serious. The injured include a pregnant woman and a 2-year-old boy.
*One dead body was recovered from the spot. 60-year-old Leela Chavda, who was serious on being brought to the hospital, has lost her life.
* Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, Union MoS (Telecommunication) Milind Deora, Opposition leader in BMC Dnyanraj Nikam, former MHADA chief Madhu Chavan and former Shiv Sena MP Mohan Rawale have visited the site.
* Leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinod Tawde said that the matter of dilapidated buildings has been brought up in the state Legislative Council and Assembly. But there has been no speedy decision by the government with regard to framing a policy . He also said action must be taken against civic officials and a structural audit of all buildings in Mumbai must be carried out to avoid such a mishap in the future.
* TV reports suggest political parties Shiv Sena and MNS have sent ambulances to the spot
*Four deaths reported from JJ hospital and one from Nair hospital
Despondency reigned on Twitter as news of the collapse started trickling in:
Another building collapse in Mumbai's dockyard lane are. Families of BMC officialss trapped? Now will they awake from the sleep and act?
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