A 51-year-old man was killed after a section of a third-floor balcony in a residential building collapsed in South Mumbai's Walkeshwar area late on Tuesday. The incident marked the city's second monsoon-related fatality in the last 24 hours, following the death of an 11-year-old boy who was crushed when a tree fell on a school van.
According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, Santosh was probably standing close to the over 50-year-old structure on Babulnath Road in Walkeshwar when the balcony fell at around 11.30 p.m, as reported by The Indian Express.
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"The victim was initially trapped under the debris, and he was taken to the hospital immediately after that, where he was declared dead," an official stated.
According to the authorities, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) owned this cessed building.
Concerns regarding the poor upkeep of South Mumbai's cessed structures, many of which were constructed between the late 1800s and the 1940s, were rekindled by the tragedy. Over time, their original brickwork, steel members, lime mortar, and timber beams have all severely deteriorated.
Some of Mumbai's outdated infrastructure has been severely stretched by the city's increasing monsoon rains, which coincided with this tragedy. Many cessed old buildings in South Mumbai are extremely susceptible to water seepage and foundation deterioration during periods of excessive precipitation.
When it rains a lot, water seeps through the walls and roof cracks. As a result, foundations weaken, steel corrodes, and wooden beams deteriorate. Collapses frequently take place during or right after the monsoon season.
A recent report published by the BMC stated that 174 buildings in Mumbai have been designated as C1 (dangerous and dilapidated) for the 2026 monsoon. These structures need to be immediately evacuated, demolished, or redeveloped because they are deemed structurally hazardous.
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