Two die as balcony in Vile Parle gaothan crashes

The incident took place at St Braz Road in a Vile Parle gaothan on Sunday around 2 pm. While Rubi was killed on the spot, his wife was grievously wounded, and was dead by the time the couple were admitted to Cooper Hospital at 2.27 pm. Along with Zeno, two other people were injured—Sumitra Devi (53) and Silven D’Souza (60). All three were treated and allowed to go home

MUMBAI: A procession band celebrating the annual feast of St John the Baptist ended in a tragedy when the second-floor balcony of a gaothan house suddenly gave way, killing a senior citizen couple, Prishita (65) and Rubi Misquita (70), who were watching the parade. Their son, Zeno, had a lucky escape when his fall was broken by the window grill on the first floor.

A civic official from K West ward, however, said that neither of the claims was true. “The building was old but not dilapidated,” he said. “It was not under the C1 category (highly dilapidated and requiring immediate demolition). Nor was it illegal as alleged. What happened was that some spectators had gathered on the chhajja of the building, and due to overload, the structure collapsed. Also, the main building structure has not collapsed, only the chhajja.” (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

The incident took place at St Braz Road in a Vile Parle gaothan on Sunday around 2 pm. While Rubi was killed on the spot, his wife was grievously wounded, and was dead by the time the couple were admitted to Cooper Hospital at 2.27 pm. Along with Zeno, two other people were injured—Sumitra Devi (53) and Silven D’Souza (60). All three were treated and allowed to go home.

Ralph Misquitta, a resident of the nearby St Francis Road, said that the locals were celebrating the nativity of St John the Baptist, and there was a band procession in all the villages on Sunday. “The couple were standing on their own balcony when it came crashing down,” he said. “The son too is injured but he is not aware of his parents’ demise.”

Misquitta said the two-storey building had been built on an open space 20 years ago, and was now in a dilapidated condition. “The balcony was propped up by some sort of support,” he claimed. Another resident, who lives two buildings away from where the balcony collapsed, said the house was an unauthorised structure. “The Misquittas bought it from a builder who constructed it by dumping debris on vacant land,” he said.

A civic official from K West ward, however, said that neither of the claims was true. “The building was old but not dilapidated,” he said. “It was not under the C1 category (highly dilapidated and requiring immediate demolition). Nor was it illegal as alleged. What happened was that some spectators had gathered on the chhajja of the building, and due to overload, the structure collapsed. Also, the main building structure has not collapsed, only the chhajja.”

While the BMC said the collapse was not rain-related, Rajendra Kane, senior police inspector of Santacruz police station, claimed it was. “The balcony crashed due to the rains, as the building was old,” he said. “There was no repair or renovation work going on in the building that could have weakened it. We have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating the matter to find out whether there was any negligence involved.”