Three people, including a child and a 21-year-old pregnant woman, were killed and eight others injured after a building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area on Wednesday, officials said.
Eleven people were rescued from the debris by evening. The eight injured were taken to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment, officials said.
The injured were identified as Momin Mirja (56), Abdaan (3), Abdul Rehman (28), Devruddin (28), Salma (50), Chote (34), Sakina (35) and Samad (30).
The deceased included a girl aged around 12, whose identity is yet to be ascertained; Gulafsa (21), who was around four months pregnant; and another child aged around one-and-a-half years, who is yet to be identified.
Authorities suspect that cracks that appeared in the building following tremors caused by an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening may have contributed to the collapse. However, the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.
Locals said they could hear the voices of people trapped under the debris.
According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), neighbours said cracks had appeared in the structure following the earthquake and that the building owner was in the process of vacating it.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) 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), MCD and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) launched search-and-rescue operations.
According to police, the four-storey building was constructed on a plot measuring approximately 225 square feet. The MCD, however, described it as a three-storey structure in a jhuggi-jhopri area spread over around 22 square yards in the DUSIB area near Idgah Machhli Mandi.
“Eleven people have been rescued from the debris so far, including eight injured persons who have been shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, Tahirpur. The operation is ongoing and further details regarding the incident are being collected,” a police officer said.
The MCD said the building was around 20-25 years old and was occupied at the time of the incident.
“In addition to the building, walls of an adjoining building have fallen, while the boundary wall of a nearby mosque has also collapsed due to the impact of the incident,” the civic body said.
According to local enquiries, families involved in ragpicking were present in the area, and some were collecting plastic and other material when they became trapped under the debris after the building collapsed, the MCD said.
“According to statements of neighbours, the building had developed cracks due to the earthquake last night and the owner was vacating it,” the civic body said.
Emergency teams from the DFS, Delhi Police, MCD, DDMA, NDRF and DUSIB reached the site and immediately launched rescue operations, the MCD said.
“Eleven people were rescued, eight of whom were injured and sent to hospital. Joint teams of the NDRF, MCD, DFS, Delhi Police and DDMA are engaged in clearing the debris and searching the affected area,” it said.
There was a discrepancy in the number of people rescued in the initial statements issued by the police and the MCD.
Visuals from the spot showed locals joining the rescue efforts and clearing debris with their hands. They were seen removing bricks and rubble from the collapsed structure and helping those trapped underneath.
In a video clip, a group of people could be seen pulling a woman out of the debris and carrying her away in their arms. Several people were also seen crying near the site.
Heavy machinery, including excavators, was deployed to clear large piles of rubble, while paramedics and emergency personnel attended to those rescued and shifted the injured to hospital. Rescue teams continued searching through the debris for anyone who might still be trapped.
A resident said several people were rescued and taken to hospital by locals.
“Police came after half an hour. A child is still trapped under the debris and some have been rescued by people and sent to hospitals. I have given CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) myself. Two-three persons have been sent to the hospital,” he said.
The incident came a month after a building in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed on September 6, leaving seven people dead and 12 injured.
The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory asking commuters to avoid the area as traffic movement was affected around the Seemapuri roundabout, DLF Bhopura and adjoining roads.
It appealed to people not to stop or park their vehicles or gather near the site of the collapse, saying that keeping the lanes clear would allow ambulances and rescue vehicles to move faster.
Rescue and relief operations were continuing at the site.
(With inputs from PTI)