Palghar: The death toll in the building collapse incident in Virar in Maharashtra's Palghar district has risen to 15. The police said that the four-storey Ramabai Apartment, which has about 50 flats, collapsed at 12.05 am yesterday in Vijay Nagar in Virar area of Palghar, adjoining Mumbai.
Eyewitnesses said that while a birthday party for a one-year-old girl was being held on the fourth floor, 12 flats in a part of the building collapsed, trapping residents and guests under the debris.
Palghar District Magistrate Dr. Indu Rani Jakhar visited the spot this morning and inspected it and confirmed that the death toll in the incident has risen to 15.
The girl who was celebrating her birthday is also among the deceased.
Six other rescued people are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, a Vasaivirar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) official said.
Emergency teams, including the National Disaster Response Force, local police and fire department, are continuing to search the debris.
The district collector said that the work of clearing the debris will continue to ensure that no one else is trapped under the debris.
The deceased have been identified as Govind Singh Rawat (28), Shubhangi Pawan Saheni (40), Kashish Pawan Saheni (35), Deepak Singh Behra (25), Sonali Rupesh Tejam (41), Harish Singh Bishta (34), Sachin Newalkar (40) and Deepesh Soni (41).
Eyewitnesses described a horrific scene that turned into chaos after a moment of joy. A survivor said that the building suddenly collapsed today while people were dancing during a party.
People screamed and accused the builder of negligence. Residents said that cracks or structural weaknesses were visible earlier, as in previous incidents of building collapses, but there were no such warning signs here. The sudden collapse has raised serious concerns about the safety of the building and it is being called an unauthorised construction in the area.
Locals have accused the builder and officials of laziness and negligence, and the police arrested the builder on Wednesday after the VVMC registered a complaint.
Fortunately, the house next to the building was vacant, District Disaster Management Officer Vivekananda Kadam had earlier said.
A VVMC spokesperson confirmed that the Ramabai Apartments, built in 2012, has 50 flats and 12 apartments in the collapsed area.
The authorities initially struggled to bring heavy machinery to the collapsed building in a crowded area, delaying the removal of debris.
The collapse has left several families homeless. All the affected families have been temporarily housed at the Chandansar Samaj Mandir. We are providing food, water, medical assistance and other essential services, said VVMC Assistant Commissioner Gilson Gonsalves.