A 51-year-old man lost his life after a portion of a third-floor balcony of a residential building collapsed in South Mumbai.
The incident was reported at around 11:22 pm on June 30 at Surya Prakash Building on Babulnath Road in Walkeshwar.
The tragedy marks the second monsoon-related fatality reported in the city within 24 hours. Earlier, an 11-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a school van during heavy rains.
The deceased, identified as Santosh Ramachandra Bharaskar, is believed to have been standing near the residential building on Babulnath Road when the balcony gave way, according to officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Emergency responders rescued Bharaskar from beneath the debris and rushed him to JJ hospital. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival, officials said.
Authorities stated that the building is a cessed property owned by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
The incident has once again highlighted concerns over the deteriorating condition and inadequate maintenance of South Mumbai's ageing cessed buildings. Many of these structures, constructed between the late 19th century and the 1940s, continue to rely on original timber beams, steel components, lime mortar, and masonry that have significantly weakened with age.
Experts point out that the monsoon further accelerates structural deterioration. Rainwater seeps through cracked roofs and walls, leading to corrosion of steel reinforcements, decay of wooden beams, and weakening of the building's overall foundation. As a result, incidents of partial or complete building collapses become more frequent during and immediately after the rainy season.
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