New Delhi: A multi-storey residential building collapsed in northeast Delhi in the early hours of Saturday, leaving 11 people dead and 11 injured, officials said.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire services, Delhi Police and other volunteers carried out rescue efforts for over 12 hours at the site of the 20-year-old four-storey structure that collapsed in Mustafabad area around 3 am.
According to police, there were 22 people at the building, most of them families. The owner of the building, Tehseen, and six from his family were among the 11 who died in the building collapse. According to police sources, construction work in "two-three shops" on the ground floor could have led to the collapse. Locals also said construction work going on at a new shop could have triggered the collapse.
They also expressed concern about the fragile state of four to five buildings. Waste water from the sewer has been seeping into the walls of the buildings for years, and over time, the moisture has weakened the structure, causing the walls to develop cracks, said Salim Ali, another resident.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, in a statement, said that the structure was around 20 years old and was fully occupied. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a probe into the incident and expressed sadness over the incident.
Residents of nearby buildings who also felt the tremors described it as an earthquake and said the floor beneath them was shaking. "We thought something hit our house but when we looked outside, we saw that the entire building next to us had turned to rubble," said Ryan, a Shiv Vihar resident who lived next to the collapsed building.
Police said they received information about the building collapse around 3.02 am at Dayalpur police station. A police team rushed to Gali No. 1, Shakti Vihar, where 22 people were reported to be buried under the debris. Rescue teams of the NDRF, Delhi Fire Services (DFS), and ambulance services were immediately pressed into action, officials said.
After being pulled out of the rubble, they were rushed to GTB Hospital. The deceased include Tehseen (60), the owner of the building, his son Nazeem (30), his wife Shahina (28), and their three children, Anas (6), Afreen (2) and Afan (2), and the owner's younger daughter-in-law Chandni (23).
Danish (23) and Naved (17), who are brothers, Reshma (38) and Ishaq (75) also died. In a post on X, Delhi CM Gupta said, "Deeply saddened by the tragic building collapse in Mustafabad. Orders have been given to investigate the incident and strict action will be taken against the culprits."
Expressing condolences over the loss of lives in the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Saddened by the loss of lives due to building collapse in Dayalpur area of North East Delhi. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected."
"An ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000," stated PMO.
"My deepest condolences to those who died in the unfortunate accident. May God grant peace to the departed souls and give strength to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss," the chief minister said.
AAP supremo and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also extended his condolences to the bereaved families. "I appeal to all the party workers to fully cooperate with the administration in relief and rescue operations," he said in a post on X. Leader of Opposition Atishi expressed grief over the incident.
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