MASSIVE BILLBOARD COLLAPSE IN MUMBAI, 14 KILLED

A massive billboard that collapsed in Mumbai, India has caused the death of at least 14 people and injured 74 others.

The collapse was due to a storm on Monday where strong winds were blowing. The dust storm caused by the strong winds was followed by heavy rains. Flights departing from and arriving in the city of Mumbai were disrupted and traffic came to a standstill.

The billboard was estimated to be bigger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool and it overlooked a gas station in the Ghatkopar suburb. When it collapsed, the billboard crushed cars and people at the gas station and the areas surrounding it.

The billboard was marketed as the biggest on the Asian continent.

CBS News reports that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai’s municipal body, said in a statement that the billboard’s owner, the Ego Media agency, didn’t have a permit to erect the huge structure.

According to the BMC, the board was nine times larger than what was permitted.

Rescue workers had to work through the night and the following afternoon to find survivors. Heavy machinery was used to cut the metal debris.

Image credit: Marketing Moves