At least two people were killed, and one was injured in a building collapse that occurred in Delhi on Thursday morning.
The incident took place around 9:50 am in Gali Sitara, near the Chawri Bazaar Metro Station. The three-storey building was reportedly under construction, and a portion of it collapsed.
A witness told ANI, “This happened around 9:00 or 9:30. 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.”
"Three or four lintels had already been cast, and they all collapsed at once. One of the injured labourers said there were about three or four people there. We saw a body being taken out. This building was under construction for the last 3-4 months," he added.
Upon receiving the information, teams from the Delhi police and the fire department arrived at the scene. Six fire units, rescue vehicles and water tankers are engaged in the rescue operation.
The operations are difficult because of the narrow and densely populated streets of Chawri Bazaar. Since heavy machinery cannot be brought to the area, rescue teams are using cranes to carefully remove the debris. Local residents have also joined in.
According to the Delhi police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has recovered two bodies from the debris. The deceased have not yet been identified. Several others are feared to be trapped inside.
The incident occurred just days after another building collapsed in Northeast Delhi, which killed two people. It took place during the construction of a second floor on top of an old house in the Milan Garden area. A part of the old house’s roof collapsed, causing the slab above it to fall through.
It also follows a major tragedy in September, where a five-story paying guest building in Satya Niketan collapsed, killing seven, including five young college students.
