It was meant to be a celebratory evening but turned into a nightmare. Late Tuesday night, a portion of the illegal four-storey Ramabai Apartment in Virar East crumbled onto an adjacent empty chawl, leaving at least 15 people dead and several others trapped or seriously injured. The collapse occurred during a time when residents were gathered together, adding to the heartache and shock. 

The rescue was painstaking, carried out by National Disaster Response Force teams and civic personnel, who initially cleared debris manually before heavy machinery arrived no small feat in that cramped, congested neighbourhood. Many victims, including a young mother and her toddler daughter, could not be saved. Over 20 hours into the emergency, responders were still racing against time to find anyone who might remain trapped. 

This makes this tragedy even more painful. Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation declared this building "illegal", yet neither demolition nor corrective steps were taken-which raises serious questions on the flaws in negligence and implementation. The builder has been arrested in the construction of the building, while the officers, including the district collector, are overseeing relief work and are immediately ensuring assistance to the displaced families.

Beyond immediate pain, this incident strongly reminds the strict construction rules and the strict need of real accountability. For families who lost their loved ones, this is a tragedy that should never have been done. But for everyone else, this is not just a warning but a call - not for action, but to prevent such heartbreaking events from happening again.