NEW DELHI, Sep 6: Five people were killed and several others were feared trapped after a nearly three-decade-old five-storey building used as paying guest accommodation for students collapsed in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
A large scale rescue operation continued through the evening as multiple agencies searched the rubble for around 15 to 20 people believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
Ten injured people were taken to the trauma centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), according to the hospital. Four of them were declared dead on arrival, while another critically injured victim later succumbed during treatment.
Three patients remained admitted, AIIMS said. One injured person underwent limb surgery, while another with minor injuries was discharged following observation.
Delhi Police registered a case against the building owner, Hariram, and others under charges related to culpable homicide, negligent maintenance of a structure and endangering public safety. The case was registered at South Campus police station.
According to police, the collapsed structure was being used as a PG accommodation and renovation work was allegedly being carried out on the ground floor when the incident occurred.
“Multiple teams have been formed to trace the alleged persons,” police said.
Rescue teams search rubble
Rescue personnel from several agencies were deployed at the site as desperate efforts continued to locate survivors. Local residents also joined the operation, using their hands and available tools to clear portions of the debris.
Two NDRF teams comprising around 70 personnel, along with a canine squad, were deployed to assist in the search. Oxygen cylinders were also supplied beneath the rubble to help trapped people breathe.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services and Civil Defence personnel were involved in the rescue effort.
Videos and images from the scene showed students trapped beneath the collapsed structure using mobile phones to seek assistance.
Amit Shah returns to Delhi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah cut short his visit to Goa and returned to the national capital following the incident.
Shah spoke with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi Police commissioner and the NDRF director general to review the rescue operation.
“The local administration and the NDRF are conducting intensive rescue operations in close coordination. The injured are being provided with all necessary medical assistance. Praying for the speedy recovery of all those injured,” Shah said.
Gupta visited the collapse site and later met injured victims at the AIIMS trauma centre. She assured that those responsible would face strict action and said the government was providing assistance to the affected families.
Building collapsed during repair work
The structure came down at around 1:30 pm while repair work was reportedly being carried out on the ground floor.
Residents alleged that water had accumulated in the basement following several days of rain and claimed that it may have weakened the building’s foundation. Authorities have yet to establish the exact cause of the collapse.
A senior MCD official said the structure was a nearly 30-year-old ground-plus-four-storey building constructed on a plot measuring about 55 square yards in a resettlement colony.
The official said the area had originally been permitted for construction of only a ground-plus-one-storey unit.
Following the incident, the MCD evacuated occupants from an adjoining building housing a women’s PG and sealed the premises as a precautionary measure.
Safety concerns emerge in congested locality
The incident has renewed concerns over the structural safety of buildings in Satya Niketan, a densely populated locality known for student accommodations, eateries and narrow lanes.
Residents said several houses in the area have been converted into PG facilities and alleged that many structures have been extended to five or six floors.
Priyanka, a resident who has lived in the locality for more than 20 years, said buildings in the area were increasingly being constructed beyond their original limits.
Many students living in the neighbourhood are reportedly from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and attend nearby colleges, including Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College and Sri Venkateswara College.
Police urged residents and onlookers to keep away from the collapse site to allow rescue teams to work without obstruction.
Paramilitary personnel were also deployed to facilitate the movement of ambulances and maintain access for emergency services as the rescue operation continued.