Fifteen people, including a one-year-old girl and her mother, lost their lives after a part of a four-story building collapsed in Virar, Palghar district, Maharashtra, shortly after midnight on Wednesday. The tragedy struck the Joyal family just minutes after they had celebrated their daughter Utkarsha’s first birthday. 

The family had decorated their home with balloons and lights, cut the cake, and shared photos with relatives. Barely five minutes later, the rear portion of their building, Ramabai Apartment in Vijay Nagar, collapsed around 12:05 am on August 27.

Utkarsha and her 24-year-old mother, Aarohi, were found dead under the debris. Her father, Omkar Joyal, is still missing, and rescue teams are searching for him. Officials said the building, constructed in 2012, was illegal. Out of 50 flats, 12 flats in the rear portion collapsed. Debris also fell on a nearby tenement, but it was vacant, so further casualties were avoided.

Rescue work has been going on for more than 30 hours with help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC). The congested area made it difficult to use heavy machines at first, so initial rescue work was done manually.

So far, 15 deaths have been confirmed. Six people died during treatment in hospitals, and others were found under the rubble. Six injured people are still admitted, while three have been discharged. The VVMC has filed a complaint, and the developer of the building has been arrested.

Authorities have also evacuated nearby buildings and shifted residents to Chandansar Samajmandir, where food, water, and medical help are being provided. This is the second such incident in the area within a month. Just 15 days ago, two labourers died after a glass slab fell during illegal construction work.