Virar building collapse: Rescue op continued amid massive debris, narrow lanes for 38 hours — In pics
The 13-year-old Ramabai Apartment in Virar had collapsed not only on itself but also over an adjoining chawl, instantly turning the area into a scene of destruction
The rescue team battled against time, unstable debris, and narrow lanes for more than 38 hours to save 26 lives after a portion of the 13-year-old Ramabai Apartment collapsed late Tuesday night in Virar-Naringi leaving 17 people dead, The Indian Express reported. (Photo credit: X)
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What began as a late-night emergency soon turned into one of the most difficult rescue operations the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation’s Fire Brigade and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams had faced in recent years. (Photo credit: X)
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The fire brigade reached the site shortly after midnight. Within an hour and a half, two NDRF teams from Mumbai and Palghar arrived. Local police, municipal officials, and sniffer dogs also joined in, making the congested lanes of the locality even busier as the entire neighbourhood watched in fear. (Photo credit: X)
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The structure had collapsed not only on itself but also over an adjoining chawl, instantly turning the area into a scene of destruction. “Every step was dangerous. We had to carefully remove debris to avoid harming those trapped below,” The Indian Express quoted an NDRF official as saying. (Photo credit: X)
The official added that initially they had to remove the debris manually since the machinaries could not be used. The narrow lanes did not allow heavy machinery like JCBs or cranes to reach the site, forcing teams to rely heavily on manual methods to remove debris. (Photo credit: X)
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Through the night, the fire brigade pulled out residents from the top layers of rubble. By early Wednesday morning, 11 people had been rescued, though two bodies had also been recovered. As per the report, the sniffer dogs proved invaluable, leading rescuers to survivors buried under nearly eight feet of rubble. (Photo credit: X)
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By the 20th hour of the operation, rescuers had saved 16 people, though seven lives had already been lost. As the hours stretched into Wednesday evening, the death toll climbed to 12, but by the 24th hour, 21 residents had been pulled out in total. (Photo credit: X)
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The final phase of the operation continued through Wednesday night and into Thursday. By the end of 38 hours, all residents trapped inside had been accounted for. The final toll stood at 17 dead, with several others injured but alive. Officials noted that without the coordinated efforts of the fire brigade, NDRF, police, and sniffer dogs, the outcome could have been far worse. (Photo credit: X)
