17 dead in Virar building collapse; search operation over
Palghar (PTI): The death toll in the collapse of an allegedly unauthorised building at Virar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district rose to 17 on Thursday afternoon with the discovery of two more bodies as the search operation came to an end. Seven people are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, officials said.
While the Maharashtra government announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased, police have arrested the builder of the four-storey structure, Ramabai Apartment, after the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) lodged a complaint.
The bodies of Omkar Jovil (27), whose one-year-old daughter's birthday was being celebrated when the building came crashing down on Wednesday, and Rohini Chavan (37) were the last to be retrieved by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other rescue agencies.
Jovil's wife Arohi (24) and daughter Utkarsha (1) too died in the collapse.
The search operations ended around 3 pm, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Gilson Gonsalves told PTI.
The building, housing nearly 50 flats, collapsed on an adjacent vacant tenement at Vijay Nagar in Virar area of Palghar, adjoining Mumbai, at 12.05 am on Wednesday.
The birthday party of one-year-old Utkarsha Jovil was underway on the fourth floor when 12 flats in a wing of the building collapsed, trapping residents and guests under the debris.
Besides the victims in the Jovil family, other deceased were identified as Govind Singh Ravat (28), Shubhangi Pawan Saheni (40), Kashish Pawan Saheni (35), Deepak Singh Behra (25), Sonali Rupesh Tejam (41), Harish Singh Bisht (34), Sachin Nevalkar (40), Deepesh Soni (41), Laxman Kisku Singh (26), Dinesh Prakash Sapkal (43), Supriya Nivalkar (38), Arnav Nivalkar (11) and Parvati Sapkal.
Eyewitnesses described the horrifying scene, where a moment of happiness turned to chaos in an instant.
"People were dancing and celebrating (during the birthday party) when suddenly the entire structure collapsed like a pack of cards," said a survivor.
The aftermath was marked by chaos and panic, with people screaming and accusing the builder of negligence.
Residents claimed that unlike previous incidents of building collapses where cracks or structural weaknesses were visible beforehand, there were no such warning signs here.
The sudden collapse has raised serious concerns over building safety and unauthorised constructions in the area.
Locals have alleged "lethargy and negligence" on part of the builder and authorities, with many demanding a thorough investigation into how the unauthorised structure was allowed to house so many residents without proper safety measures.
Senior inspector Lahu Ture of Virar police station said builder Nital Sane (47) was arrested under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act,1966.
Luckily, the chawl or tenement on which the building collapsed was vacant, District Disaster Management Officer Vivekanand Kadam said.
As a precautionary measure, all the chawls around the ill-fated building have been vacated and occupants shifted to safer places, he said.
Constructed in 2012, Ramabai Apartment has 50 flats, and the collapsed part had 12 apartments, said Kadam.
A spokesperson of the municipal corporation claimed that the building was “illegal".
The debris removal was delayed because officials initially struggled to bring heavy machinery to the crashed building located in a congested locality.
“All affected families have been temporarily housed at Chandansar Samajmandir. We are providing food, water, medical assistance, and other essential services," assistant commissioner Gonsalves said.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the tragedy.
"The collapse of a building in Virar, Maharashtra, resulting in the death of several people is extremely tragic. I express my condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this accident and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the President said in a post on X in Hindi.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also expressed profound grief and paid heartfelt tribute to the deceased, a statement from his office said.
"We share the sorrow of all these families, and at the same time, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced financial assistance of 5 lakh rupees to the heirs of the deceased," it said.
State Disaster Management and Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan visited the site during the day.
Municipal Commissioner Manojkumar Suryavanshi conceded that unauthorised constructions was a problem within the municipal limits, and said the civic body will crack down on such constructions.
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Dense fog disrupts operations at Delhi airport; 228 flights cancelled, 5 diverted
New Delhi (PTI): Dense fog disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport on Monday, with various airlines cancelling 228 flights and diverting five to nearby airports due to low visibility, an official said.
However, except for Air India, which had in an X post in the morning announced the cancellation of some 40 flights, no other airlines, including crisis-hit IndiGo, shared the numbers of their cancelled or delayed flights.
"As many as 228 flights -- 131 departures and 97 arrivals-- have been cancelled due to low visibility, so far," the airport official said.
In addition to this, five flights have been diverted so far, he said.
Earlier, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), in a statement, said, "Our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals.
"Low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, which is unfortunately beyond our control," IndiGo said in a statement.
As operations are adjusted to prevailing weather conditions, some flights may experience delays, while a few others may be proactively cancelled during the day to prioritise safety and minimise extended waiting at the airport, the airline said in a statement.
IndiGo, however, did not say how many of its flights were cancelled or delayed.
The airline said its teams are "closely monitoring" the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport.
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IndiGo also said it issued advisories to its customers and "proactively" informing them, to minimise inconvenience.
“Poor visibility due to dense fog in Delhi this morning has impacted flight operations for all airlines. We are closely monitoring conditions and will resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so,” Air India said in a post on X in the morning.
It also said that some flights have been cancelled In the interest of safety, and to avoid prolonged uncertainty for the guests, while listing out some 40 arrivals and departures that it had cancelled for the day.
Delhi airport is the country's busiest, handling around 1,300 flight movements daily.
