The death toll from the collapse of a four-storey building in Palghar district’s Virar area has climbed to 14, officials confirmed on Thursday. Rescue operations led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are still underway, with two people successfully rescued and one injured.
The incident occurred around midnight on Tuesday when the rear section of Ramabai Apartments, located between Chamunda Nagar and Vijay Nagar on Narangi Road in Vasai, crumbled onto an adjacent chawl, trapping several residents under the rubble.
“Fourteen people died when the rear portion of the building collapsed yesterday. Rescue efforts are still ongoing,” the NDRF said in a statement.
In the initial hours, manual and canine searches helped recover four individuals—one was declared dead on-site, while three others were pulled out alive. Tragically, a one-year-old child who was rescued later succumbed to injuries while being rushed to hospital.
Two NDRF teams—one from Mumbai and another from Palghar—were immediately deployed to the accident site. “As soon as the information was received at 12 a.m., the nearest team responded immediately,” said NDRF Deputy Commander Pramod Singh.
Emergency services including the fire brigade and local police remain on the ground. Barricades have been set up for crowd control, while adjoining buildings have been evacuated as a precautionary measure amid ongoing assessments of structural safety.
Those rescued are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Virar and Nalasopara, with several reported to be in critical condition. Authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse while ensuring no one remains trapped under the debris.
