Two people died, and another was injured after a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar on Thursday morning. Several people are feared trapped under the debris.
The incident was reported around 9.50 am in Gali Sitara, near Chawri Bazar Metro station, according to PTI. At least six fire units, including rescue vehicles and water tenders, were rushed to the spot. Senior fire department officials were supervising the rescue operation.
The narrow lanes of the area have posed a challenge for rescue teams. Debris from the collapsed structure was scattered across the lane, while residents moved parked vehicles to clear the way for emergency vehicles. Rescuers had to walk several metres to reach the site.
Residents describe the collapse
A local resident, Mohd Nayeem, told ANI that he and others rushed outside after hearing a loud crashing sound.
“We were asleep when we heard a crashing sound. We all got up and rushed outside. We thought our own house was collapsing. When we checked, we realised it was the house being built next door,” he said.
Nayeem said several concrete slabs had collapsed together. He added that an injured labourer had told residents that three or four workers were inside the building at the time.
According to local residents, the building had been under construction for the past three to four months and was not occupied. Labourers were reportedly working inside when it collapsed.
Recent building collapses in Delhi
The incident comes amid a series of building collapses in the national capital. Last month, four people, including two children, died after a residential building collapsed in Seemapuri. Eight others were injured.
Earlier, two men, Chanderpal, 60, and Vijay Kumar, 33, died after building slabs collapsed during construction work in the Milan Garden area of northeast Delhi.
On September 6, a building operating as a paying guest accommodation for boys collapsed in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan.
Reacting to Thursday’s incident, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the safety audits conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi government.
“Rekha Gupta’s government and MCD conducted multiple safety audits of all buildings in Delhi, yet buildings keep collapsing. Why?” he said.
