An official said the NDRF can't use gasoline-powered cutters as the accident site is a petrol pump and it can result in a blast or fire

At least 14 persons died, and 74 suffered injuries after a 100-feet-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in the Chheda Nagar area of Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains that lashed the city on Monday

Talking about the challenges faced by the rescue teams, assistant commandant of the NDRF Nikhil Mudholkar said the force has gasoline-powered cutter equipment and oxyfuel cutters, but the use of this equipment can result in a blast or fire as there is a petrol pump at the site

The NDRF teams used two cranes weighing 500 tonnes each to pull up the hoarding from both sides and after creating a gap of about 3.5 to 4 feet, the rescuers crouched into the tiny space to look for people trapped underneath, he said

The teams pulled out 88 people and of these, 14 were declared dead, 31 injured persons were discharged from hospitals, and the remaining were undergoing treatment at various hospitals, Mudholkar said

During the search last night, three girders of the hoarding were pulled using two hydraulic cranes, and nine people were found trapped inside some four-wheelers underneath, he said

Efforts are underway to pull two more big girders using hydraulic cranes, and once this is done, the NDRF will be able to find out if more people are trapped inside, he said