The billboard collapsed onto some houses and a gas station next to a busy road in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar after strong winds and rain.
At least 14 people died and dozens of others were injured after a huge billboard fell on them during a thunderstorm in India’s financial capital Mumbai, according to local authorities.
The billboard collapsed onto some houses and a petrol station next to a busy road in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar after strong winds and rain on Monday night.
Many others were trapped after the incident, with rescue operations continuing until Tuesday. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation said 74 people were taken to hospital with injuries following the accident, of whom 31 were discharged.
Rains, accompanied by strong winds, caused the 30-metre-high billboard located near a busy road in Ghatkopar’s Chheda Nagar area to fall on a petrol station and some houses on Monday night.
The Press Trust of India news agency, citing law enforcement officials, reported that the billboard was installed illegally.
On Monday evening, Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, said a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident and strict action would be taken against those responsible.
A “high-level investigation has been ordered into the incident,” Fadnavis said in an X post.
Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, was hit by strong winds accompanied by rain and dust storms that uprooted trees and caused brief power cuts in parts of the city, along with disruptions to the city’s rail network.
The storm paralyzed traffic in some parts of the city and disrupted operations at the airport, one of the busiest in the country, with at least 15 flights diverted.
India experiences heavy rains and severe flooding during the monsoon season between June and September, which brings most of the annual rainfall. Rain is crucial to agriculture, but it often causes great damage.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
