Virar building collapse: Toll rises to 17 after 2 more bodies found from debris

The birthday celebration of a child, who turned one, was going on in the building, which housed 50 flats, just before the incident happened. Omkar Joil (27), his wife Arohi (24), and their one-year-old daughter Utkarsha were among those killed shortly after the gathering. Around 25 people had attended the birthday party, minutes after which the ground-floor wing collapsed, crushing 12 flats.

Among the deceased were members of several families, including Sachin Nivelkar (44), Supriya Nivelkar (40), and their son Arnav (14), as well as Laxman Kisku Singh (26), Dinesh Prakash Sakpal (43), Parvati Sakpal (60), Dipesh Soni (41), Harish Singh Bisht (34), Sonali Rupesh Tejam (41), Dipak Singh Bohra (25), Kashish Pawan Sahni (35), Shubhangi Pawan Sahni (40), Govind Singh Rawat (28), and Rohini Chavan (approximately 52).

The injured are being treated at Tuljabhavani Hospital and other private medical facilities nearby.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his condolences and announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased. “Seventeen people have died so far in Virar. The government stands with the bereaved families,” he said.

President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her condolences on X, stating, “The collapse of a building in Virar, Maharashtra, leading to several deaths, is extremely saddening. I express my condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

Displaced residents and neighbouring chawl dwellers were forced to evacuate overnight. Many are currently housed in temporary shelters at Chandsanser Community Temple in Virar East. Local residents expressed frustration over being unable to retrieve belongings from their homes. “All our belongings are inside, and we have been on the road for nearly 48 hours with just the clothes we wore. How are we expected to survive like this,” said a group of affected women.

Some residents alleged prior complaints had been ignored. “We have been urging the builder time and again to take action, but he ignored notices by the civic authorities. Earlier, parts had fallen on our chawl, but he did nothing. When the portion collapsed on our chawl, I was trapped for more than half an hour. Initially, there was help from authorities, but I was rescued by locals only,” said Swanand Mahalgavkar, who lives in an adjacent chawl.

The residents claimed that the building had structural damage and visible cracks following heavy rain. “Most people were home when it collapsed, which could have increased the death toll,” said Prabhakar Shinde, a resident.

Rescue operations were carried out over the next 48 hours by teams from the fire department, municipal disaster response units, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Officials said narrow spaces and the close proximity of structures delayed debris removal efforts. A civic body official confirmed that police had sealed the area and that nearby residents were relocated to safer locations.

“We heard the building collapse. It was horrifying. We initially joined in rescue efforts, digging through rubble till the time authorities came,” said Rajesh Jadhav who resides in the neighbouring building.

Authorities have registered an FIR against the building’s landowner and developer, Nittal Sane, under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and several provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act. Charges include illegal construction and use of substandard materials. Sane has been arrested.

State Disaster Management and Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan visited the site, met the affected families, and directed officials to ensure full medical and financial assistance. He was accompanied by MP Dr Hemant Savara, MLAs Sneha Dubey and Rajan Naik, Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) commissioner Manoj Suryavanshi, and other senior officials.