Six Killed Including Five Children in Mankhurd Chawl Collapse Amid Heavy Rains

Six people, including five children, were killed after a portion of a chawl collapsed amid heavy rainfall in the Mankhurd area of Mumbai on Sunday night. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. at Chawl No. 5 in Janta Nagar, located behind Hanuman Mandir, where two to three hutments of a ground-plus-three structure collapsed and trapped seven residents under the debris.

Following the collapse, emergency officials rushed five of the trapped victims to Shatabdi Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival. Two other victims were taken to Rajawadi Hospital. Of those two, one succumbed to their injuries, while the other remains in stable condition.

The deceased have been identified by officials as Aliya, 7; Muskan, 14; Nihal, 6; Nabiya, 2; Soni, 32; and Munaf, 7.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed profound grief over the accident and paid tribute to the deceased. On Monday, Fadnavis announced a financial assistance package of ₹5 lakh ex-gratia for the families and heirs of the victims, stating that the state shares in their deep sorrow.

The fatal collapse occurred during a period of relentless monsoon rainfall that lashed the wider metropolitan area. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange Alert for the region, which was later followed by a Red Nowcast Warning from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) warning of gusty winds up to 60 kmph.

The severe weather conditions prompted authorities to order the closure of all government, private, and municipal schools and colleges on Monday. Similar educational holiday declarations were made in the neighbouring Thane, Palghar, and Pune districts due to the worsening weather conditions.

The heavy rains also caused widespread disruption across the region on Monday, including a landslide on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and railway track damage in the Karjat-Khopoli section.