17 dead as illegal four-storey apartment collapses in Maharashtra; builder held

Seventeen people, including a one-year-old girl, died after a portion of an illegal four-storey apartment collapsed early on Wednesday (August 27) at Virar (East) in Palghar district of Maharashtra. The builder has been arrested.

A spokesperson of the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) said the building, Ramabai Apartment, which was constructed at Vijay Nagar in 2012, was unauthorised. It comprised nearly 50 flats, of which 12 flats in one wing collapsed. The police arrested the builder after the VVMC lodged a complaint.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday expressed grief over the tragedy and announced an assistance of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased. A statement from the CMO’s office said nine people had been rescued so far.

State Disaster Management and Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan inspected the accident site and reviewed the rescue operations. He said, “The entire cost of treatment of the injured will be borne by the State government. Temporary shelters, food, and essential supplies have been arranged, and all possible support will be extended for rehabilitation.” 

VVMC Assistant Commissioner Gilson Gonsalves said the affected families had been temporarily accommodated at Chandansar Samajmandir. “We are providing food, water, medical aid, and other essentials. Arrangements have also been made by the municipal administration to take the bodies of some of the deceased to their native villages,” he said.

Birthday party was on

The District Disaster Management Officer, Palghar, Vivekananda Kadam, said the incident happened when the birthday party of the one-year-old girl (who is among the deceased) was under way. Most of the people staying nearby were at the party.

He said the building had collapsed on a tenement, where no one was present at that time. “Since the chawls and other nearby buildings were also at risk, the residents were immediately evacuated. Eight rooms in the neighbouring chawl were demolished to make room for the machinery,” Mr. Kadam said.  

“The deceased include six women and three children. The nine injured are undergoing treatment in municipal and private hospitals. As soon as the information of the building collapse was received, the Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management Cell and fire brigade personnel immediately reached the spot. They informed the NDRF staff, revenue administration and police,” Mr. Kadam said.

The injured persons being treated at the VVCMC Hospital in Tulinj are Prabhakar Shinde, 57; Pramila Prabhakar Shinde, 50; Prerna Shinde, 20; Pradeep Kadam, 40; Jayashree Kadam, 33; and Mithali Parmar, 28. Those admitted to the Prakriti Hospital at Bolingj are Sanjay Swapant Singh, 24; Manthan Shinde, 19; and Visakha Jovil, 24.