A part of the 4 -storey building collapsed at Virar in Palghar, Maharashtra. In this painful accident, 17 people, including a one -year -old girl, died. The incident happened at 12.5 pm on Wednesday night when the birthday of a one -year -old girl was being celebrated.

The person who was present with the accident said that the people involved in the birthday party also died. Eyewitnesses said that the scene was very frightening. A moment ago, people were dancing and singing at the birthday party and suddenly the entire building fell like leaves. A man survived in the accident said, “In a moment, happiness turned into mourning.”

District Officer of Palghar, Dr. Indu Rani Jakhar said that the birthday girl also died in the accident. Six injured have been admitted to different hospitals.

Builder arrested

The ‘Ramabai apartment’ building fell on a vacant building near Vijay Nagar area of ​​Virar. It has about 50 flats. In the accident, 12 flats of a wing of the building are collapsed.

NDRF, local police and fire department teams arrived as soon as the accident was reported. After the accident, chaos and panic spread. People were screaming and accusing the builder of negligence.

The police have arrested the builder of the four-storey building on the complaint of Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC).

Relief and rescue work delayed

Vivekananda Kadam, head of the Disaster Management Cell of Palghar district, said that the 2012 Ramabai apartment had 50 flats, out of which 12 flats collapsed. Kadam said that due to the building being in a crowded area, there was a problem in bringing heavy machines to remove debris, which delayed the rescue operation.

VVMC Assistant Commissioner Gansalves said, “The families affected by the accident have been temporarily kept in the Chandansar Samaj Mandir. We are providing them food, water, medical help and other essential services to them.”

A four-storey residential building of Vasai Virar in Palghar district of Maharashtra fell on the night of Tuesday-Budhwar (26-27 August). There was a possibility of 20 to 25 people being trapped in the debris. According to the recent update, 14 people have died in this accident and the search operation of NDRF is still going on.

It was being told that the building was in such a narrow street that neither the car could go there for a rescue nor an ambulance. In such a situation, the NDRF team had to conduct a manual rescue operation, which took a long time. The team fears that some people may still be trapped in the debris.

Building fell on an adjacent empty building
Investigation has found that this four -storey residential building of Ramabai apartment was unauthorized, a part of which fell on the adjacent building. 14 people died in this big accident, while 4 to 6 people are said to be injured. 6 bodies were taken out of the debris. At the same time, the rest of the injured died during treatment.

Illegal building builder arrested
According to the information received by the police, the building collapsed around 12.05 late Tuesday night. The police have arrested the builder of the building after the complaint was lodged by Vasai Virar Mahnagar Municipality (VVMC). Authorities have so far identified seven dead, including Arohi Onkar Joevil (24), their one -year -old daughter Utkarsha Joevil, Laxman Kisku Singh (26), Dinesh Prakash Sapkal (43), Supriya Niwalkar (38), Arnav Niwalkar (11) and Parvati Sapkal.

All the surrounding chawls were empty
District Magistrate Indu Rani Jakhar visited the spot. He still feared some other people being buried in the debris. Vivekananda Kadam, District Disaster Management Officer of Palghar, said that it was a matter of honor that the chawl or house on which the building collapsed was empty. As a precaution, all the chawls around the building have been evacuated and the residents of them have been transferred to safe places.

There were 12 flats in the collapsed part
The Ramabai apartment built in 2012 has 50 flats and there were 12 apartments in the collapsed part. The VVMC spokesperson confirmed the building being ‘illegal’. At present, the work of removing debris is going on. Many families have become homeless due to this accident. All the affected families have been temporarily held in the Chandansar Samaj Mandir. They are being provided with food, water, medical aid and other essential services.