A retired Air Traffic Control (ATC) manager and his wife were among the 16 people who died after a 250-tonne hoarding fell on Monday during a massive dust storm that hit Mumbai. Family members and friends have been camping at the site of the hoarding collapse in Ghatkopar since Tuesday night for an update. At least 14 persons were killed and 75 injured after the huge hoarding came crashing down on a petrol pump in Chheda Nagar locality on Monday evening.
The bodies of retired ATC manager Manoj Chansoria, 60, and his wife Anita, 59, were found inside their car on Wednesday night after the 100-foot hoarding collapsed on top of a petrol pump in east Mumbai.
Who was Manoj Chansoria?
Manoj Chansoria retired as a general manager at Mumbai ATC in March, and moved to Jabalpur. Kin of the couple said that the couple, who arrived in Mumbai for some personal work a few days ago, were heading back to Jabalpur in their red TATA-made car on Monday when the contact with them was lost. When the location of Chansoria's mobile phone was tracked, it showed as the spot where the petrol pump is located. It is suspected that they were at the petrol pump for refuelling when the hoarding collapsed amid gusting winds and rain.
What led to disaster?
According to civic officials, the giant hoarding in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai collapsed as the foundation of its pillar was weak. The illegal hoarding that stood on a piece of land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP) crashed on a petrol pump in Chheda Nagar area on Monday evening when the city was hit by dust storms and unseasonal rains, they added.
