Giant billboard collapse kills at least 14 in Mumbai

At least 14 people were killed in the Indian city of Mumbai after a giant billboard collapsed on them during a sudden thunderstorm, local authorities said Tuesday.

At least 74 others were hospitalized with injuries after the accident late Monday, while rescue operations were still underway Tuesday morning local time for an unknown number of people who remain trapped. 

Police in Mumbai, India’s financial capital and most populous city, said in a post on X that “sudden storm and heavy rain” had caused the 220-foot-by-160-foot billboard to fall on a gas station in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar.

The billboard tore through the roof of the gas station located along one of the busiest highways in the city, disrupting traffic and crushing cars underneath. 

No explosions or fire was reported.

Video from the site overnight showed cranes tearing through the metal frame that held the billboard together and rescuers pulling out survivors.