Police: Mumbai´s Nariman House in danger of crumbling down

Source: Xinhua | 11-30-2008 11:24

MUMBAI, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- A day after militants were flushed out of the Nariman House in Colaba, the hollow concrete structure wore an eerie look, with broken window panes and massive holes in the ceiling of each floor.

The insides of the five-storied structure were filled with debris, shards of explosives and broken furniture. The police had cordoned off the area from Saturday morning.

"The building is in a bad shape and is in the danger of crumbling down," a senior police official said. Residents had slowly begun to move into the Colabawala House nearby when they were informed by the civic authorities that the Nariman House was not safe any longer.

The building housed 12 residents. Shagufta Sheikh, a resident, was planning to vacate her flat. On Wednesday night, the family fled to a relative's house down the road and saw the incident unfold on television.

"We were having dinner when my younger brother came running in and told us that there were blasts," she said. The Colabawala House will be the first to be propped up on Sunday morning.

D S Bhujbal, executive engineer of the repair board, Mhada, said the front-load bearing portion of the building had been damaged when grenades were hurled from the Nariman House on Wednesday night.

Editor:Du Xiaodan