The five-storey Ray Chambers building which had stood for 115 years in Mumbai collapsed at the weekend after large cracks had appeared in the walls on Friday.
Thankfully all residents, including 75 families, and staff at 15 commercial outlets, were evacuated when it was clear the building would not remain standing. Then on Saturday afternoon the walls came tumbling down.
So why would a building that had stood for so long suddenly collapse? It is thought some residents were making modifications to the structure without realizing what it would do to the strength and stability. These additions included installing new windows, but they were cut out of load-bearing walls. That's according to the video linked to below.
Another cause could be that repairs were being carried out by the Mumbai Repair and Reconstruction Board and leakage caused during those works may have damaged the building.
One very lucky resident decided not to move out on Friday due to his bed-ridden 86-year-old mother. They actually remained in the building as it collapsed, but the room they were in was at the corner of the building and somehow it did not get destroyed and the two were rescued.
A rather over-the-top video of the collapse can be seen via the India Today link below.
Source: DNA India and India Today
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