At least five people were injured and several others were feared trapped after the front portion of a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi's Seemapuri on Wednesday, officials said.
The Delhi Fire Service received a call about the collapse around 3.30 pm and rushed fire tenders to the spot. Delhi Police, civic officials and civil defence personnel also joined the rescue operation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rajendra Prasad Meena said several people had been rescued and shifted to hospitals, while two to three others were suspected to be trapped under the debris.
"It is a four-storey building measuring 225 square feet. Some people have been rescued and sent to hospitals, but we suspect that two to three people are still trapped under the debris. They are talking... rescue operation is underway," he said.
The collapse also buried portions of two to three adjoining houses, prompting a large-scale search operation.
Local residents joined rescuers in removing bricks and rubble with their bare hands. Visuals from the site showed residents pulling a woman out from under the debris and carrying her to safety.
JCB excavators and other heavy machinery were deployed to clear the rubble, while paramedics and emergency personnel attended to those rescued and shifted the injured for treatment.
A local resident claimed that four to five people had been rescued by residents and taken to hospitals. He also said a child was still trapped under the debris.
Locals claimed the building had developed cracks after tremors were felt across Delhi-NCR following an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday night. Officials, however, said the exact cause of the collapse would be established after an investigation.
The incident comes a month after a building collapsed in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6, killing seven people and injuring 12.
(With inputs from PTI)
