At least 17 were killed and several are still receiving treatment at the hospital after a four-storey building collapsed on a chawl below in Virar near Mumbai on Tuesday night, August 26. Among the deceased are a woman and her one-year-old daughter. Six remain critical and are receiving treatment for their serious injuries.
The structure declared by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) came crashing down at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday. After receiving the information, the fire brigade, Vasai Virar Police, and two National Disaster Response Force teams were deployed at the initial stage. Relief and rescue operations are still ongoing at the site.
Also Read | Virar Building Collapse: Rescue Operations Continue After 30 Hours; Adjacent Chawl Also Destroyed.
District Collector Indu Rani Jakhar said some people are still said to be under the debris. Officials said the collapse rendered several families homeless, all of whom have been shifted to Chandansar Samajmandir and provided with food, water, and medical aid.
So far, seven victims have been identified, including Arohi Omkar Jovil (24), her daughter Utkarsha (1), Laxman Kisku Singh (26), Dinesh Prakash Sapkal (43), Supriya Nivalkar (38), Arnav Nivalkar (11), and Parvati Sapkal.
The collapse occurred during a birthday party of a girl who had turned one year old that day, which was held on the fourth floor of the building, which was part of Ramabai Apartment in the Virar East area of Palghar district. The birthday girl, Utkarsha Omkar Jovil, and her 23-year-old mother, Aarohi, died. Her father Omkar (25) is still missing in the collapsed debris, while some relatives are still tapped.
Virar police confirmed that they have arrested Nittal Gopinath Sane, 47, owner of Sai Dutta Builders and Developers, who constructed the building. He has been booked under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966 and Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).