A devastating incident unfolded in Mumbai, India, as a colossal billboard collapsed during a sudden thunderstorm, claiming the lives of at least 14 individuals, according to local authorities on Tuesday.
In addition to the fatalities, at least 74 people were rushed to hospitals with injuries following the late Monday accident. Rescue efforts persisted into Tuesday morning as responders worked to extricate individuals still trapped beneath the debris.
Mumbai police, in a statement shared on X, attributed the collapse to the abrupt storm and heavy rainfall. The massive 220-foot-by-160-foot structure toppled onto a gas station in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar, ripping through its roof and causing chaos along one of the city’s busiest highways.
Thankfully, there were no reports of explosions or fires despite the dramatic scene.
Videos from the site depicted cranes painstakingly dismantling the metal framework of the fallen billboard while rescue teams tirelessly searched for survivors, with some being pulled out from the wreckage.
Of the 74 injured, 31 have already been discharged from medical care, informed Nikhil Mudholkar, assistant commandant of India’s disaster relief agency, on Tuesday.
However, rescue operations faced additional challenges due to the presence of a petrol pump at the site, hampering the use of gasoline-based cutting equipment, as explained by Mudholkar to local news agency ANI.
