Rescuers in India’s capital continued searching through the wreckage on Monday after a five-storey residential building collapsed in southwest Delhi, killing at least seven people.
The building, known as Hostel Daze, in the Satya Niketan neighbourhood near Delhi University’s south campus, fell around 1:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. Most of those living there were students. Classes were not held that day, so many were thought to be in their rooms when it came down.
Officials have not said how many people were inside. Witnesses estimated two to four dozen. Authorities confirmed 12 people were taken to hospital. Seven died and others remain under treatment. It is still unclear whether more people are trapped under the debris.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said water had collected in the basement and repair work was underway there. These factors, she said, caused the collapse. By Monday morning about 80 percent of the rubble had been cleared, leaving mainly debris from the basement.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force used excavators and electric saws to cut through concrete and steel. The smell of burning metal hung in the air. Nearby mattresses lay half-buried in the ruins. An adjacent building was emptied as a precaution and was expected to be demolished.
One shopkeeper nearby described the collapse as sounding like an earthquake. Smoke and dust filled the air. He said he heard students calling “save us” from under the rubble. Four students were pulled out alive that day. Some trapped people had managed to make phone calls from the debris.
Police registered a case against the building’s owner and are looking for him. The structure was 40 to 50 years old. Local reports said the leaseholder had been digging in the basement to expand the hostel.
Satya Niketan is a crowded student area. Many young people from outside Delhi live in private hostels and paying-guest rooms because college hostels have very few places. Students said the buildings are overcrowded and poorly maintained, with little proper water or sewage.
Building collapses are not rare in Delhi. More than a thousand have been recorded in the past three years, often linked to weak foundations, poor materials, or unskilled work.
Source: BBC
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