1 dead as ceiling slabs of multiple flats collapse in Navi Mumbai

A 29-year-old man died and seven others sustained injuries when ceiling slabs of an eight-storey residential building collapsed in Navi Mumbai in the early hours of Saturday, a fire brigade official said.

Ceiling slabs from the sixth floor to the ground floor collapsed in the building located in sector 17 of Nerul around 12.50 am, the official said.

Local firemen and the police rushed to the scene for the rescue operations, he said.

One of the residents Ventakesh Nada, who was buried under the debris, died even before he could be taken to the hospital, while seven injured persons are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, the official said.

According to civic officials, some drilling work was in progress on the sixth floor, due to which the ceiling slab of the sixth floor fell followed by the other floors.

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation had last month issued a notice to carry out a structural audit of the building, it was stated.