Building collapse in Palghar: Death toll rises to 17

A part of the Ramabai Apartment in the Narangi area of Virar (East) collapsed Tuesday night.

Written by Vallabh Ozarkar

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Mumbai | Updated: August 28, 2025 02:00 PM IST

The unauthorised four-storey building, housing nearly 50 flats, collapsed on an adjacent vacant tenement at Vijay Nagar. (Express Photo by Akash Patil)

The death toll from a building collapse in the Virar area rose to 17, after two bodies were found Thursday, as the fire brigade team of Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continued rescue operations and removal of debris from the spot.

The deceased have been identified as Omkar Jovil, 25; his wife Arohi Omkar Jovil, 24; their daughter Uttkarsha Jovil, 1; Laxman Kisku Singh, 26; Dinesh Prakash Sakpal, 43; Sachin Newadkar, 40; and his wife Supriya Nivadkar, 38; and their Arnav Nivadkar, 11; Parvati Sakpal, 60; Dipesh Soni, 41; Harish Singh Bist, 34; Sonali Rupesh Tejam, 41; Deepak Singh Bohra, 25; Kashish Pawan Saheni, 35; Subhangi Pawan Saheni, 40; Govind Singh Rawat, 28; and Rohini Chavan, who was nearly 52 years old.

Omkar and Chavan had been missing after a part of the Ramabai Apartment in the Narangi area of Virar (East), which was constructed in 2011 and had around 50 flats, collapsed Tuesday night.

“Seventeen people have died so far in the Virar area, where a building collapsed. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed profound grief and paid a heartfelt tribute to the deceased. CM Fadnavis has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those deceased,” the Chief Minister’s Office’s X post, loosely translated from Marathi, said.

“Rescue operations have been underway with the help of NDRF for the past 48 hours, and they will conclude in the next few hours. So far, 9 people have been rescued safely,” the CMO post added.

Those injured in the Virar building collapse were identified as Prabhakar Shinde, 57; his wife, Pramila Prabhakar Shinde, 50; Prerna Shinde, 20; Pradeep Kadam, 40; Jaishree Kadam, 33; Mitali Parmar, 28; Sanjoy Singh, 24; Manthan Shinde, 19; and Vishakha Jovil, 24. The injured are being treated in various hospitals in Vasai-Virar.

Utkarsha, who celebrated her first birthday Tuesday night, suffered severe injuries, and was rushed to the hospital after the building collapsed, but died during treatment. Her mother, Arohi, died on the spot. Hours before that, Omkar Jovil and his family had organised a small celebration to mark his daughter Uttkarsha’s birthday.

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The Virar police Wednesday arrested Nittal Sane, a builder of Ramabai Apartment, under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with several sections of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act.

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