17 Dead In 4-Storey Building Collapse In Virar Near Mumbai, Rescue Ops On

At least 17 people have lost their lives after a part of a four-storey building collapsed in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Wednesday morning. So far, nine people have been pulled out of the debris, while two have reportedly suffered injuries and are undergoing treatment. The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation Fire Department and two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are involved in rescue operations.

The rear portion of the four-storey building of the Ramabai Apartment, located in Virar East, collapsed on the chawl below. The incident occurred on the intervening night of August 26 and 27, at 12:05 am.

The rescue operations have been underway for over 36 hours and are likely to conclude in the next few hours.

Two teams of the NDRF - one from Mumbai and another from Palghar -- responded to the accident site, said NDRF Deputy Commander Pramod Singh. Emergency services, including the fire brigade and local police, are actively involved alongside NDRF teams.

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, shared the latest numbers on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of the dead.

The Chief Minister expressed grief over the deaths of people in the Virar building collapse.

"We share the sorrow of all these families, and at the same time, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the heirs of the dead," a post from the Chief Minister's Office account read.

The Vasai Virar police on Thursday arrested 50-year-old Niley Sane, the builder of the building that collapsed. Mr Sane has been charged under several sections, including 52, 53 and 54, which deals with penalties for unauthorised development or use of land under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act. The builder has also been charged under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and its punishment.