A 22-year-old pregnant woman had a narrow escape after the ceiling of her flat caved in at Nerul’s NL-2 Vighnaharta Co-operative Housing Society, Sector-1, around 5.30 am on Wednesday. The victim, Arze Usman Ali, was fast asleep when the slab suddenly came crashing down.
“I was sleeping when I heard a loud sound and within seconds the ceiling fell. I felt a sharp pain and started bleeding. It was terrifying because I am pregnant. Thankfully, neighbours rushed me to hospital in time,” she told mid-day. Umar Ali, the victim’s husband, said that he was sleeping on the floor while his wife was on the bed. The ceiling fell on her while she was asleep, he said.
Arze was first taken to Nerul’s Meenatai Thackeray Hospital and later shifted to NMMC Hospital in Vashi, where doctors administered six stitches before discharging her. Eyewitness Nikhil Gawde, a resident of the society, said, “This building has already been declared C1 and is awaiting redevelopment. Elections for the redevelopment process are underway. Continuous rainfall for the past five days weakened the structure further, leading to the collapse.”
Another resident, Seema Patil, who lives in the adjoining wing, said, “We heard a huge thud and rushed to help. The ceiling had come down dangerously close to where the woman was sleeping. It could have been fatal if the other family members were in the room. Residents have been living in fear, but shifting out is not easy for everyone.”
The society, which falls under the C1 category of dangerous buildings, is partly vacated, but several families continue to stay due to the slow pace of redevelopment. According to Gawde, redevelopment of the building has been stalled due to the dispute between the builder and the society committee members.
