As toll in the Malad East wall collapse in Mumbai climbs to 18, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has come in defence of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and termed the incident an "accident".
Claiming that the wall collapse was due to "very heavy rainfall" and not BMC failure. "It was an accident. It happened because of heavy rainfall. There are several illegal constructions in Mumbai and BMC has nothing to do with it," Sanjay Raut said.
Asked if the BMC failed to prepare for the monsoon, Sanjay Raut said, All drains are cleaned. But sometimes, the downpour is so strong that it is impossible to control. The Shiv Sena leader added that people in Maharashtra were indeed happy with rains. "People are happy with rains but these kind of accidents are unfortunate," Sanjay Raut said.
As many as 18 people were killed and over 50 injured in a wall collapse in the northern suburb of Malad in Mumbai early Tuesday following heavy rains. Around 2 am, a compound wall in Pimpripada collapsed, trapping people living in shanties adjacent to the wall.