Nearly Eight Dead in Ghatkopar Landslide at Chirag Nagar's Gaushiya Chawl
A major landslide struck Gaushiya Chawl in Chirag Nagar within the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai at 3:35 am on Wednesday, August 12, claiming nearly eight lives and leaving several others seriously injured.
Immediately after receiving information about the hazardous incident, emergency authorities launched a major search and rescue operation at the site. Teams from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, Mumbai Police, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the 108 ambulance service rushed to the location to carry out search and rescue efforts. The injured victims were immediately transported to the nearby Rajawadi Hospital for medical treatment.
In the aftermath of the incident, affected victims and local residents in Chirag Nagar expressed serious concerns regarding safety in the region. Residents disclosed that they had already received official notices from authorities to vacate the area prior to the onset of the monsoon season due to the region's known vulnerability to landslides.
Local residents explained that leaving their homes was impossible without government aid. Speaking to reporters, one resident stated that while notices were received before the monsoon rains began, the chawl was the only place they had to live, and appealed to the government to relocate them somewhere safe. Another resident requested immediate safety infrastructure, demanding that the government build a protective wall or safety barrier to protect vulnerable homes from frequent landslides during the monsoons.
A local official confirmed that warnings had indeed been served to those living in the landslide-prone zone well before the rains began, directing residents to relocate to safer locations. The official added that despite receiving the notices, residents did not take the warnings seriously.
