Cooling operations at the fire-ravaged Link Square Mall in Bandra West are still ongoing and will be followed by a structural audit conducted by a private agency. Only after the audit and necessary repairs will the mall be certified for reopening—a process that could take weeks or even months, civic and police officials said on Wednesday. The black shell of the mall seemed to have drawn passers-by by the droves, with some local vendors saying they had come to offer moral support to those who had lost so much in the fire.

Several shopkeepers in the vicinity of the blaze that gutted the mall on Tuesday said, “Most of us learnt of the fire through our phones, very early that day. We saw messages that the mall was on fire, and it was a very strong blaze with firefighters on the scene. We got messages first. Pictures and videos started buzzing on WhatsApp hours later.”