2 dead, 9 injured as part of building collapses in Maharashtra's Palghar

The fire department and two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were rushed to the accident spot

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have rescued 11 people while the search operations remain underway for more trapped victims after a section of a building collapsed in Virar East in Maharashtra's Palghar district.

A section of the Ramabai Apartment, a four-storey building in Virar East, Palghar district, collapsed late Tuesday night, claiming two lives and injuring several others, officials said Wednesday.

In the initial manual and canine search, four people were pulled out; one was declared dead on site, and three were rescued alive. Tragically, a one-year-old child succumbed while being transported to the hospital.

According to NDRF Deputy Commander Pramod Singh, "Two teams of the NDRF responded to the accident site--one from Mumbai and one from Palghar. As soon as the information was received at 12 am, the nearest team responded immediately."

So far, 11 people have been rescued, with locals estimating that around five more may still be trapped. Rescue efforts are expected to continue over the next two days.

Singh said that the rescue will continue until tomorrow, as heavy machinery can't be used at the entry because it is too narrow.

He said, "The rescue may continue today and tomorrow. All the work has to be done manually as the way to the building is narrow and heavy machinery cannot be brought here."

Emergency services, including the fire brigade and local police, are actively involved alongside NDRF teams. Authorities have set up barricades to maintain crowd control and are assessing the stability of adjacent structures. Several residents in adjoining buildings have been temporarily evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The incident occurred around 12:00 a.m., when the rear portion of the building collapsed onto an adjacent chawl, trapping multiple residents beneath the debris.

The rescued are receiving treatment at hospitals in Virar and Nalasopara, with some in serious condition.

Authorities are continuing their search to ensure no one remains trapped and are investigating the cause of the collapse further.