At least 17 dead in India building collapse

28 Aug 2025 14:41
28 Aug 2025 14:44

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At least 17 dead in India building collapse

Photo: PTI

At least 17 people, including a woman and her one-year-old daughter, lost their lives after the rear section of an unauthorized four-storey building collapsed onto a vacant chawl in Virar, the Indian state of Maharashtra, early Wednesday.

Officials said several others are feared trapped, while six people remain in critical condition, News.Az reports, citing Indian media.

The structure, declared 'illegal' by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC), came crashing down at 12.05 am.

Rescue operations have continued for more than 20 hours, with National Disaster Response Force units and civic teams clearing rubble first by hand and later with heavy machinery, delayed initially due to the building's congested location.

District Collector Indu Rani Jakhar confirmed that some people could still be trapped beneath the debris. Officials said the collapse rendered several families homeless, all of whom have been shifted to Chandansar Samajmandir and provided with food, water, and medical aid.

Some bodies were pulled out of the debris, while others died during treatment at nearby hospitals, officials said.

According to authorities, the crash site has 50 flats in total, with the collapsed section housing 12 apartments. Officials said that although the chawl it fell on was vacant, nearby residents in adjoining tenements were evacuated as a precaution.

Meanwhile, police have arrested the builder, Nital Gopinath Sane, after the VVMC lodged a complaint against him. A case has also been registered against the landowner. The charges included violations under sections 52, 53, and 54 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act and section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

News.Az