Palghar, Aug 28 (V7N) – At least 15 people have died after a residential building collapsed in Virar town of Palghar district, Maharashtra. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Wednesday (August 28), when a part of the building named ‘Ramabai Apartments’ caved in onto an adjacent empty rice field.

According to ETV India, a birthday party for a one-year-old child was underway on the fourth floor when 12 flats in one section of the building collapsed, trapping residents and guests under the debris. The child did not survive.

The Palghar district administration confirmed that at least six people were injured and are receiving treatment at various local hospitals. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, firefighters, and police personnel are engaged in rescue operations. Efforts to remove debris and recover those trapped are ongoing, and authorities warned that the death toll may rise further.

It has been alleged that the multi-storey building was constructed without proper permission, and concerns had previously been raised regarding its structural quality.

END/SMA/AJ