Wall Collapses Outside CSMT Platform 13, Damaging Vehicles
A portion of an old, weakened building wall collapsed outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Tuesday evening, damaging multiple parked vehicles and causing a truck laden with water bottles to tilt. No injuries were reported in the incident, even though the location normally witnesses heavy movement of passengers, railway workers, and vehicles in South Mumbai.
The collapse occurred on the left side of Platform 13, near an area routinely used for the road transport and movement of goods and supplies. People working nearby noted that the stretch remains consistently busy throughout the day, with workers and other people frequently stopping there to talk.
A major tragedy was averted due to the arrival of a Vande Bharat train at the station just minutes before the structure gave way. Several station workers who are involved in loading and unloading luggage, and who usually gather at the spot, had shifted towards the platform to attend to the incoming Vande Bharat train.
Their departure from the immediate vicinity left the spot largely clear right before the wall came crashing down. Moments later, the weakened masonry collapsed onto the ground, damaging vehicles parked nearby while narrowly missing workers who had just moved away.
The impact of the collapse damaged a car and two motorcycles that were parked in the area. Additionally, the falling debris struck a truck carrying packaged drinking water bottles, causing the vehicle to tilt over onto its side.
According to officials, two buildings had earlier stood adjacent to each other at the location. One of the structures was formerly utilised as an IRCTC base kitchen and had been dismantled some time ago. Because the two structures were interconnected, three sides of the base-kitchen building were brought down during demolition, while a shared section of the wall was left standing.
Over time, that remaining unsupported wall deteriorated, weakened, and eventually gave way. The surviving adjacent structure at the site is reportedly in poor condition and currently functions as a store room. The incident has raised serious concerns regarding the safety and maintenance of aging, partially demolished structures in busy areas outside one of Mumbai's busiest railway stations.
