Virar, Maharashtra – The tragic building collapse in the Narangi area of Virar (East) has claimed 17 lives, with rescue teams recovering two more bodies on Thursday.
The incident, which reduced a section of the Ramabai Apartment to rubble, has left the Vasai-Virar region in shock, with mourning families shattered by the tragedy.
The Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation’s fire brigade and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been working around the clock for over 48 hours, painstakingly clearing debris in search of survivors.
Authorities said rescue operations would conclude soon, with nine individuals rescued alive so far.
The victims of this catastrophic incident include entire families:
- Omkar Jovil (25), his wife Arohi Jovil (24), and their one-year-old daughter Uttkarsha Jovil, who had celebrated her first birthday just hours before the collapse.
- Laxman Kisku Singh (26)
- Dinesh Prakash Sakpal (43)
- Sachin Nivadkar (40), his wife Supriya Nivadkar (38), and their son 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) and Subhangi Pawan Saheni (40)
- Govind Singh Rawat (28)
- Rohini Chavan (52)
Omkar Jovil and Rohini Chavan had been reported missing since Tuesday night, when part of the Ramabai Apartment, a building constructed in 2011 with approximately 50 flats, suddenly crumbled.
Tragically, little Uttkarsha Jovil, the youngest victim, sustained grave injuries during the collapse and succumbed during treatment. Her mother, Arohi, died instantly in the disaster.
The Jovil family had been celebrating their daughter’s first birthday just hours before their lives were devastated.
Among the injured receiving treatment at hospitals across Vasai-Virar are:
Prabhakar Shinde (57), Pramila Shinde (50), Prerna Shinde (20), Pradeep Kadam (40), Jaishree Kadam (33), Mitali Parmar (28), Sanjoy Singh (24), Manthan Shinde (19), and Vishakha Jovil (24).
Accountability and Arrests
In a significant development, builder Nittal Sane, who constructed the Ramabai Apartment, has been arrested.
He faces charges under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), alongside violations of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act.
This arrest raises urgent questions about negligence and regulatory failures.
The building, only 14 years old, has sparked outrage over lax enforcement of construction standards, poor oversight by civic authorities, and systemic corruption in Maharashtra’s real estate sector.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief and announced ₹5 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased, but grieving relatives demand justice rather than monetary relief.
Activists have called for stringent accountability measures, including criminal action against civic officials who approved the building and ignored safety violations.
This incident is not merely an accident—it is a man-made disaster born of greed, corruption, and neglect, resulting in an irreplaceable human toll.
The lives of 17 people, including infants and senior citizens, were stolen by a preventable tragedy that must not be repeated.
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