NEW DELHI (AP) — A large billboard collapsed onto people during heavy rain and thunderstorms in India's western city of Mumbai, killing at least 14 and injuring 74 others, reports said.
A rescue operation was ongoing Tuesday morning, and it was unclear how many people may still be trapped.
The rains, accompanied by high winds, caused the 30-meters-tall (100-foot-tall) billboard to fall over a gas station in the suburb of Ghatkopar on Monday evening. At least 47 people were rescued late into the night.
Police are investigating the incident and say the billboard was illegally installed, officials told the Press Trust of India news agency.
The officials said 31 of the injured had been discharged from the hospital.
India has heavy rain and severe floods during the monsoon season between June and September that brings most of its annual rainfall. The rain is crucial for agriculture but often causes extensive damage.
Rescuers look for victims under a billboard that collapsed following heavy rain and thundershowers in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 13, 2024. Scores of people were thought to be trapped after the collapse in the suburb of Ghatkopar, Mumbai police said on social media platform X. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Rescuers look for victims under a billboard that collapsed following heavy rain and thundershowers in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 13, 2024. Scores of people were thought to be trapped after the collapse in the suburb of Ghatkopar, Mumbai police said on social media platform X. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A girl whose relative is missing speaks on the phone at the site of a collapsed billboard following heavy rain and thundershowers in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 13, 2024. A billboard has collapsed causing deaths and injuries in India's financial capital, Mumbai. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
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