Virar building collapse: Baby’s birthday party ends in horror, toll climbs to 17; survivors recall ‘night of screams’

NEW DLEHI: A one-year-old girl’s birthday celebrations turned into a night of horror when the four-storey Ramabai Apartment collapsed in Virar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, killing 17 people, officials said on Thursday.As per news agency PTI, the girl, whose birthday was being celebrated on the fourth floor, was among those who died when 12 flats of the unauthorised building caved in on an adjacent vacant chawl at Vijay Nagar around 12.05am on Wednesday. Nearly 50 flats were housed in the structure, officials added.

“People were dancing and celebrating when suddenly the entire structure collapsed like a pack of cards,” said a survivor, recalling the chaotic moments when joy turned into panic.Emergency teams including the NDRF, local police and the fire department continued clearing debris on Thursday to ensure no one else was trapped. “The work is almost complete, but we want to be absolutely sure before concluding the operation,” Palghar district collector Dr Indu Rani Jakhar said.Residents alleged negligence on the part of the builder and authorities, demanding a probe into how such an unauthorised structure was allowed.

Police have arrested the builder after the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) lodged a complaint.VVMC officials said Ramabai Apartment, constructed in 2012, was illegal. The collapsed portion housed 12 apartments. As a precautionary measure, chawls in the vicinity have been vacated and families shifted to safer places.The tragedy has rendered several families homeless. “All affected families have been temporarily housed at Chandansar Samajmandir. We are providing food, water, medical assistance, and other essential services,” VVMC assistant commissioner Gilson Gonsalves said.(With agency inputs)