Daijiworld Media Network- Palghar

Palghar, Aug 27: Tragedy struck Vasai in Maharashtra’s Palghar district in the early hours of Wednesday when a portion of a four-storey residential building collapsed, killing two persons, including a toddler, and leaving nine others injured.

The mishap occurred around 12.05 am, when the rear section of Ramabai Apartment, located on Narangi Road, suddenly gave way and crashed onto an adjoining chawl. Panic gripped the locality as several residents were trapped under the debris.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the local fire department rushed to the spot and managed to rescue 11 individuals. However, two of them, identified as Aarohi Omkar Jovil (24) and Utkarsha Jovil (1), were declared dead on arrival at hospital.

“Rescue operations are still underway to ensure no one remains trapped. Our priority is the safety of survivors,” said Vivekanand Kadam, District Disaster Management Officer. He added that advanced equipment and trained personnel have been deployed to speed up the operation.

The injured have been shifted to hospitals in Virar and Nalasopara, where they are receiving treatment.

Authorities have cordoned off the accident site and evacuated residents from nearby structures as a precaution. Structural engineers have begun assessing the stability of the remaining building and adjacent constructions to rule out further danger.

Local municipal officials assured that an inquiry will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the collapse. Meanwhile, search and rescue operations are continuing amid heightened security and crowd control measures.