15 dead after heavy rain collapses apartment wall in Pune's Kondhwa; Devendra Fadnavis orders inquiry

Pune: At least 15 people died while three others sustained injuries after a portion of a wall collapsed near Talab Masjid in Kondhwa area of Pune on Saturday. Speaking to ANI, an official from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said the wall collapsed due to heavy downpour in the city. "The wall collapsed at around 1:30 am on Saturday, due to heavy rainfall in Pune. The boundary wall was built near construction site sheds and when it collapsed, at least three sheds were complete bogged down under the wall. It collapsed at least six feet below the surface level," said Sadanand Gawde. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Saturday ordered an in-depth inquiry into the incident of wall collapse in Pune, in which 15 people were killed. "Extremely saddened to know about loss of lives in the Kondhwa, Pune wall collapse incident. My deepest condolences to the families and praying for speedy recovery of the injured. Directed Pune Collector to conduct an in-depth enquiry," Fadnavis said on Twitter. State Congress chief Ashok Chavan also expressed his grief over the incident and urged the state government to extend all the help to the families of the dead and injured. NDRF teams rescued three injured and retrieved as many as 15 bodies. The injured have been shifted to Sassoon Hospital in the city. Pune District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said those who died in the mishap were labourers hailing from Bihar and Bengal, adding that a relief amount would be provided to the kin of the deceased by the government. "Negligence of the construction company is coming to light in this incident. Death of 15 people is not a small matter. Mostly (deceased) were labourers from Bihar and Bengal," he said. A search and rescue operation is underway, and further details are awaited. At least four persons, including a minor boy, were killed and two others injured in different incidents as monsoon made a grand entry in Mumbai and surroundings on Friday, hitting normal life with the usual woes of water-logging in many areas, delays in flights, road and train traffic. Source: Livemint