Virar Building Collapse: 17 Dead, Including Toddler; Builder Arrested

 Mumbai: At least 17 people, including a toddler celebrating her first birthday along with her mother and father, have lost their lives after a part of a four-storey unauthorised building collapsed in Virar in Maharashtra. While the NDRF-led rescue operations still continue, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced Rs five lakh assistance to families of the deceased. The builder of the building, declared illegal by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), has been arrested.

The rear portion of the four-storey building of the Ramabai Apartment, located in Virar East, collapsed on the intervening night of August 26 and 27, at 12:05 am on Wednesday. The building has 50 flats in total, of which 12 apartments of the rear portion suddenly gave way, burying residents under tonnes of debris. The structure was declared ‘illegal’ by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC).

One-year-old Utkarsha Jovil, her mother Aarohi Jovil (23) and father Omkar Jovil (25) were among the 17 people confirmed dead. Hours before the collapse, the Jovil family was celebrating Utkarsha’s first birthday in their apartment on the fourth floor. While Aarohi was killed instantly in the collapse, Utkarsha died during treatment on Wednesday. Omkar was among the last two bodies recovered on Thursday.

Rescue operations have continued for several hours, with National Disaster Response Force units and civic teams clearing rubble first by hand and later with heavy machinery, delayed initially due to the building’s congested location. Two teams of the NDRF – one from Mumbai and another from Palghar – responded to the accident site, said NDRF Deputy Commander Pramod Singh. Emergency services, including the fire brigade and local police, are actively involved alongside NDRF teams.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to the victims, announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs five lakh for each of the deceased’s families. “We stand with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” Fadnavis said in a statement.

The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) added that the ongoing rescue operation, which has been underway for 48 hours with the assistance of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), is expected to conclude within the next few hours.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that a thorough investigation would be conducted in the matter, promising that “strict legal action will be taken against those found guilty.”

President Droupadi Murmu also offered condolences to the families of those who died and wished for the recovery of the injured persons.

Meanwhile, the Vasai Virar police on Thursday arrested 50-year-old Niley Sane, the builder of the building that collapsed. Sane has been charged under several sections, including 52, 53 and 54, which deal with penalties for unauthorised development or use of land under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act. The builder has also been charged under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and its punishment.