New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed grief over the loss of lives due to the collapse of a building at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district, and announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of those who died and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

At least nine people were killed after a four-storey building collapsed in Bhiwandi on Thursday night.

“Pained to hear about the loss of lives due to the collapse of a building in Thane, Maharashtra. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said in a post on X.

The prime minister also announced that an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund would be given to the next of kin of each deceased, while Rs 50,000 would be given to each injured.

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The building had been declared “dangerous” by the civic authorities, and repair work was underway on the premises.