NEW DELHI: Several people are feared trapped under the debris after a four-storey commercial building collapsed near Saket Metro station in south Delhi on Saturday evening, officials said.
The incident occurred on Western Marg in Saidulajab. According to officials at the site, the entire structure collapsed into a massive mound of rubble. Police said the building housed a coaching institute on the ground floor, while construction work was underway on the upper floors.
Eight people trapped under the debris were rescued safely and taken for treatment with minor injuries, the officials said.
“It was a glass-facade commercial building and no one can say with certainty how many occupants were present inside at the time of the incident,” a resident said.
A small adjoining building housing a mess was also affected, though people there were evacuated safely. Apart from a few minor injuries, no major casualties have been reported so far.
The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the collapse at 7.44 pm and rushed seven fire tenders to the spot. Rescue teams, police personnel and local residents launched search operations amid heaps of concrete, twisted metal and broken pillars. Residents used mobile phone flashlights to assist rescue efforts as emergency teams searched for possible survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
Officials said the number of people trapped remains unconfirmed. Rescue operations were underway at the time of filing this report, and further details are awaited.