One person died and at least seven people, including a three-year-old child, were injured after a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi's New Seemapuri area on Wednesday, partially damaging two adjoining houses, police said.
The Delhi Fire Service received a call about the collapse at around 3.30 pm and rushed fire tenders to the spot.
Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) joined the search and rescue operation.
"Seven injured people, including a child aged three years, have been rescued. The operation is ongoing, and further details regarding the incident are being ascertained," a police officer said.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), however, said the collapsed structure was a three-storey building in a jhuggi-jhopri area spread over around 22 square yards in the DUSIB area near Idgah Machhli Mandi.
The civic body said eight people had been rescued and shifted to hospital. Joint teams of the NDRF, MCD, Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Police and DDMA were clearing the debris and searching the area for anyone who may still be trapped.
Visuals from the site showed local residents helping rescue teams clear the rubble with their bare hands. In one video, residents were seen pulling a woman out from under the debris and carrying her to safety.
Heavy machinery, including excavators, was deployed to remove the debris as emergency personnel attended to those rescued.
A local resident claimed several people had been rescued by residents before being taken to hospitals. He also said a child was still feared trapped under the debris.
Locals said the building had developed cracks after tremors were felt across Delhi-NCR following an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday night. Officials said the exact cause of the collapse would be established after an investigation.
The incident comes a month after a building collapse in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6 killed seven people and injured 12.
The Delhi Traffic Police advised commuters to avoid the Seemapuri area as traffic movement was affected around Seemapuri Gol Chakkar, DLF Bhopura and adjoining roads. It urged people not to stop, park or gather near the site to keep routes clear for ambulances and rescue vehicles.
(With inputs from PTI)