Two people were killed and eight others, including a 14-month-old child, sustained injuries when a four-storey residential building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Welcome locality early Saturday morning. Rescue operations remain underway, with several more feared to be trapped beneath the rubble.
The structure, located on Gali No. 5 of Janata Colony near Idgah Road in Seelampur, came down around 7 am, startling residents who were out on their morning walks. Locals were the first to respond, pulling victims out of the debris before emergency personnel reached the scene.
Officials from the Delhi Fire Services confirmed that the bodies of a man and a woman were retrieved and sent to GTB Hospital. Seven others were rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, while a toddler was taken to GTB.
Police said ten members of a family were inside the building at the time, alongside several others who were either visiting or in the vicinity. “Around 7.04 am, we received information about the collapse. When our team reached the site, they found three of the four storeys had caved in,” said a senior police officer.
Additional DCP (Northeast) Sandeep Lamba said the building belonged to Matloob, who lived there with his family. “The ground and first floors were unoccupied, but the collapse damaged the neighbouring building as well,” he added.
Among those rescued were Parvez (32), his wife Siza (21), their infant son Ahmad, and Parvez’s brother Naved (19). Govind (60), his brother Ravi Kashyap (27), and their wives Deepa (56) and Jyoti (27) were among the injured found near the site.
Anees Ahmad Ansari, who lives in the adjacent building, said he was also hurt. “As the building collapsed, the rubble struck our building, and I too sustained injuries. Locals are doing everything they can to help,” he said.
Seven fire tenders and teams from the National Disaster Response Force, civil defence, and Delhi Police have been deployed for the rescue. Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg said operations would continue until all suspected victims were accounted for.
Witnesses described the moment the structure gave way. “There was a loud crash and a cloud of dust. When I came out, I saw our neighbour’s house had collapsed,” said Asma, a local resident. “A family of 10 lives there. We don’t know how many are still inside.”
The tragedy comes a day after another building collapse in Pul Mithai, North Delhi, which claimed one life and left several injured. That structure had three shops on the ground floor and godowns above, part of the Azad Market cluster.
Municipal officials are expected to assess the structural integrity of surrounding buildings and determine the cause of Saturday's collapse. There has been no official word yet on whether the building had prior violations or complaints.
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