Woman dies in slab collapse in Virar East

The deceased, Lakshmi Singh, a homemaker, was with her seven-month-old baby and three-year-old son in their second-floor apartment when a slab fell on her head, seriously injuring her

MUMBAI: A 35-year-old mother died and her children were injured when a slab of their house collapsed due to heavy rains in Virar on Monday. The dilapidated building had been termed dangerous by the municipal corporation, and Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) immediately issued notices to other residents to vacate it.

Woman dies in slab collapse in Virar East

The deceased, Lakshmi Singh, a homemaker, was with her seven-month-old baby and three-year-old son in their second-floor apartment when a slab fell on her head, seriously injuring her. Other residents alerted the police and the fire brigade, and after carefully rescuing them from the rubble, Singh and her children were rushed to a private hospital where she died during treatment. Her children narrowly escaped with minor injuries.

The Pooja Apartment building in Gopcharpada in Virar East had been termed dangerous by the municipal corporation, but had not been vacated. “We have started issuing notices to vacate it,” said assistant commissioner Gilson Gonsalves, adding that all other high risk buildings in the city, categorised as C1 due to the level of the risk, were soon to be demolished.

The Virar police have registered an accidental death report and are investigating the incident to check whether negligent authorities are to blame for Singh’s death.

Following the incident, other residents quickly vacated the structure and have been housed temporarily at the civic school nearby.