- author, Deepali Jagtap
- role, BBC Marathi, Mumbai
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A sudden storm toppled a giant billboard in the Indian city of Mumbai, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens.
The billboard, measuring 70 meters by 50 meters, fell on homes and gas stations in the city on Monday, police said.
Emergency services said several people were still trapped under the wreckage and rescue efforts were underway.
The government of Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, has ordered an investigation into the incident.
Footage from a local news channel showed the giant billboard swaying in the wind before giving way and crashing into a building near a busy road in Ghatkopar, an eastern suburb of the city. The accident involved several vehicles.
Photos from the scene show emergency teams working through the wreckage. Dramatic video footage shows rescue workers pulling the victim out from under the fallen sign and using power tools to cut through the metal.
“About 80 people were safely rescued,” an official told news agency ANI. “There is one red car that is badly damaged and we believe there may be some people trapped inside.”
Akshay Basant Patil, 20, who works for a delivery company, was waiting in his car at a gas station when the storm hit.
“When I noticed the signboard falling, I went outside and tried to escape, but I got stuck between cars,” the man said.
“Eight or nine people, including me, were able to escape.”
But Patil saw many others trapped in trucks and cars under fallen billboards.
Among the victims was 24-year-old Bharat, who was on his way to work when it started raining.
“He stopped to take shelter under a nearby bridge. But then a signboard fell and crushed him to death,” said his mother Naina Vinod Rathod.
Rathod, who was at home at the time, learned of the tragedy from a phone call from her husband.
“We rushed to the scene immediately, but by the time we arrived, my son was dead,” she said.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Mumbai city government said “high winds” were the cause of the collapse and that multiple agencies including police, fire service and the National Disaster Response Team took part in the rescue operation. Ta.
Officials also said the sign was several times the permitted size and that the agency that installed it did not have a permit.
The company was served with a notice requiring it to demolish the structure and remove all similar sheds from the city immediately.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government would provide financial assistance. 500,000 rupees ($5,987, £4,767) to the families of those killed and injured in the incident.
Monday’s sandstorm brought parts of the city to a standstill, mowing down trees, disrupting travellers, and causing power outages.
Several flights at the city’s international airport were temporarily suspended or diverted, according to local media.
Mumbai is one of several cities in India that is prone to severe flooding and rain disasters during the monsoon season, which usually runs from June to September.
Additional reporting by Tom MacArthur in London.
