Portion of balcony of residential building collapses in Thane; none hurt

Thane, Aug 22 (PTI) A portion of a balcony in a 40-year-old residential building collapsed in Maharashtra's Thane city on Friday, prompting the authorities to evacuate residents, an official said.

There was no report of casualty in the incident that took place in the Kisan Nagar locality of Wagle Estate around 10.40 am, he said.

A portion of the balcony at the four-storey Panchsheel Niwas Building collapsed. The structure has been classified under the C2A category, requiring evacuation and structural repairs, said Yasin Tadvi, the chief of the civic disaster management cell.

"Our team, along with the fire brigade, police, and ward officials, rushed to the spot with a pickup vehicle, JCB machine, fire engine, and rescue vehicle. The entire building was evacuated for safety reasons, and a hazard zone was created at the site," he said.

There were 60 to 70 residents in the building at the time, and all were shifted to a civic school, the official said, adding that shops on the ground floor of the building have been shut temporarily. PTI COR ARU