Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Kin of cabbie killed say they learnt about his death later

The mishap took place at the BPCL petrol pump in Ghatkopar/ Sameer Markande

The family of a 48-year-old taxi driver in Mumbai faced an agonising wait as they made approximately 100 calls to his phone, only to discover that he was one of the victims of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse. The deceased, Mohammad Akram, was the family's main breadwinner, supporting his wife and little daughter.

On Monday, an illegal hoarding measuring 120 by 120 square feet collapsed at a gas pump amid a dust storm and unseasonal rains, killing at least 14 people and wounding 75 others, including Akram, reported PTI.

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According to the report, Majeed Sheikh, Akram's cousin, described the events leading up to the catastrophe. Akram had stopped at a petrol station to refuel his cab with people on board. While speaking with a colleague cab driver, the high billboard crashed, trapping Akram beneath. Despite several calls from his pal and wife, Akram did not respond.

When Sheikh and others learned of the tragic news, they went to the scene of Ghatkopar hoarding collapse. They watched rescue operations underway, with patients being transported to Rajawadi Hospital. It was then that they learned the devastating news of Akram's death, the PTI report added.

"He drove a taxi for a living. On the day of the incident, he went to fill CNG at the petrol pump in Ghatkopar with passengers seated in his vehicle. At that time, he met another taxi driver whom he knew well and started chatting with him by standing outside his taxi. Just after his taxi driver friend left the petrol pump, the huge billboard collapsed there. Seeing it, that friend started calling Akram, but as he did take the call, he immediately called Akram's wife to inform her about the incident and tell her that her husband was trapped under the hoarding," Akram's cousin Majeed told PTI.

He told the news agency, "We first rushed to Thane from Badlapur and later reached Ghatkopar, the site of the billboard collapse. There, we saw police and civic officials pulling out the victims from the debris and injured persons being taken to hospitals. We were told that several injured persons and the bodies of the deceased were taken to the Rajawadi Hospital."

The family of another cab driver, Satish Singh (52), went through a similar nightmare after the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse. Singh had stopped at a petrol station to refuel on his way home. When he failed to return and his phone stayed turned off, his family became anxious. When they arrived at the spot, they discovered Singh's lifeless body being pulled from his taxi.

Singh, who is survived by his wife and three children, was the family's main breadwinner. His family members requested government support in their hour of need.

Satish Singh's relative Surendra said, "On the day of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident, Singh picked up passengers from Nalasopara and dropped them at Kurla. After that, he stopped at the Ghatkopar pump to fill the CNG on his way back to Nalasopara."

He added, "But when he did not return home till late at night and as he could not be contacted since his mobile phone was switched off, his family members got worried. We came to know about the incident in Ghatkopar. We reached there around 1.30 am, and we saw the police personnel pulling his body out of the taxi. He was declared dead at the Rajawadi hospital."