Thane, May 18 (PTI) The balcony of a four-storey building collapsed in Bhayander in Thane district on Tuesday morning after which its residents were shifted to a nearby school as a precautionary measure, a civic official said.

Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dilip Dhole said the building, in Ganesh Galli in the township, was 35 years old and 39 families were staying in it while four to five flats were empty.

The balcony crashed at around 6am, leading to cracks developing in some parts of the structure, rendering it unfit for occupation, and local fire brigade personnel rescued 72 people, he told PTI.

"A part of the building was razed as it had turned dangerous. The residents have been shifted to a nearby school. No one was injured in the incident," the MBMC chief added. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)