Collapse of Advertising Billboard Due to Storm Results in Dozens of Victims

Fourteen people have died, and at least 60 others were injured, following the collapse of a massive advertising billboard due to a severe storm in Mumbai, according to city authorities in western India, which is considered the economic capital of the country. Gaurav Chauhan, an inspector with the National Disaster Management Authority, stated that the billboard fell due to strong winds near a petrol station in the eastern part of the city, trapping dozens of people underneath it among the dead and injured. He added that rescue teams have retrieved eight bodies from the rubble, while there are still more bodies that need to be recovered. The inspector continued, "We have identified the location of the bodies, but we cannot recover them due to the petrol station; the situation could be dangerous." A rescue and search operation is currently underway in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area. The municipal authorities previously announced that rescue teams saved 60 people who were transported to the hospital for treatment. The billboard is massive, measuring 70 meters long and 50 meters wide, according to a post by Mumbai police on the platform "X."