Mumbai: Dockyard building collapse death toll rises to 61

The death toll in Friday's building collapse in Mazgaon area here has climbed to 61, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.Asked if the rescue operation has been called off, the BMC said though no formal announcement to this effect has been made so far, "it is as good as being called off." The four-storey building, owned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, collapsed on Friday morning. Around 33 people were injured in the incident. Eight of the deceased are unidentified.Yogesh Pawar (29), a journalist with Marathi daily Sakaal, and his father Anant Pawar, who lived in the building, died in the mishap.Ashok Mehta, the owner of Mamamiya Decorators, who allegedly carried out faulty and unauthorised renovation at his rented office-cum-warehouse on the ground floor of the building, has been arrested. It is suspected that the renovation led to the crash, Sewri police said.[caption id="attachment_1140245" align="alignleft" width="380"]

The death toll has risen to 60. Parag Shinde/Firstpost[/caption]The injured have been admitted to state-run J J Hospital and Nair Hospital. Cranes and other heavy machinery have been pressed into service to lift large slabs of concrete and mangled steel.Around 21 families lived in the 30-year-old building, categorised as a C-2, which meant it needed repairs urgently.While Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has promised strict action against those found responsible for the tragedy, BMC has formed two probe committees and ordered audit of buildings in similar condition.The civic body has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for families of every deceased person.PTI