One person was killed and 10 others were injured when a ceiling slab of the Bank of Maharashtra’s branch collapsed in the state’s Solapur district on Wednesday.
According to the investigating officer of Karmala Police Station Shrikant Padule, the incident took place around 11 a.m. when business at the bank was in full swing.
The accident occurred as a large slab from the ceiling fell, trapping many staff members and customers.
The surroundings of the building had been damaged by heavy rain in the past week.
The deceased was identified as Prashant Bagal (40) who was standing near the cash counter when the slab fell. Ten injured people were pulled out of the debris.
However, according to a report in IANS, around 10 more people are still feared trapped under the rubble and rescue efforts by multiple agencies are underway.
The Solapur fire department had rushed a rescue team to the accident site.
Some patients also fell down with the crashing slab as there was a small clinic on the upper floor of the ground-plus-storied structure, investigating officer of Karmala Police Station Shrikant Padule was quoted by IANS.
An investigation has been initiated into the incident.
The incident comes barely two weeks after a residential building crumbled to the ground in the Dongri area of Maharashtra’s Mumbai killing at least 14 people.
As per initial reports, at least 40-50 people were trapped beneath the debris. The building going by the name Kesarbai was at least 100 years old.
Massive search and rescue operations were conducted by the NDRF and the police to pull out the survivors from under the debris.
Earlier this month, 23 people lost their lives after a wall collapsed on hutments in Pimpripada area of Malad East in Mumbai due to heavy rainfall.
At least three more people were killed in another wall collapse in Kalyan near Mumbai.