- author, Tom McArthur
- stock, BBC News
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At least 14 people have been killed and dozens injured after a giant billboard collapsed during a sudden storm in the Indian city of Mumbai.
According to police, the 70m by 50m billboard fell on houses and a petrol station in the city on Monday.
Emergency services say several others are still trapped and rescue operations are underway.
The Maharashtra state government, located in Mumbai, has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Footage on local news channels showed the huge billboard swaying in the wind and crashing into buildings near a busy road in Ghatkopar, the city’s eastern suburbs. Several vehicles were crushed in the accident.
Photos from the scene show emergency crews working through the rubble. Dramatic video footage shows rescue workers pulling the victim out from under the fallen billboard and using power tools to cut through the metal.
“We have rescued around 80 people safely,” an official told news agency ANI. “One of the red cars was badly damaged and we suspect some people were trapped inside.”
X, in a statement posted on Twitter earlier, Mumbai’s civic authorities said “high winds” caused the collapse and multiple agencies, including the police, fire and National Disaster Response Teams, were involved in the rescue operation.
Also, officials claim that the size of the billboard is many times more than the permissible size and the agency that put it up does not have permission.
The company was issued a notice and asked to remove the building and remove all similar hoardings from the city immediately.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the state government will provide financial assistance to 500,000 rupees ($5,987, £4,767) to the families of those killed and injured in the incident.
Monday’s dust storm brought parts of the city to a standstill, uprooted trees, disrupted travel and caused power outages.
Several flights at the city’s international airport were temporarily grounded or diverted, local media reported.
Mumbai is one of the many cities in India prone to severe flooding and rain-related incidents during the monsoon season – which usually falls between June and September.
