At least one person has died and others have been critically injured after a five-storey building collapsed near Satya Niketan area of RK Puram, south Delhi, on Sunday afternoon. Several students are feared trapped under the debris.
The collapsed structure, known as Hostel Daze, was a five-storey boys’ paying guest (PG) accommodation. Police sources stated that construction work in the basement was underway when the incident occurred at around 1:30pm, reports Times of India.
An eyewitness reported hearing a loud noise resembling the rumble of an earthquake before the building collapsed, filling the area with smoke and dust.
According to officials, three people have been rescued so far and rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where they remain in critical condition. However, reports on the exact number of casualties and rescues vary.
While BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from RK Puram, Anil Kumar Sharma, who was present at the site, confirmed that two children had been pulled out and hospitalised, an eyewitness claimed that four breathing children were rescued, and that two to three bodies had already been recovered.
The eyewitness added that the collapse occurred during renovations to create a ground-floor rental space.
“They were constructing a basement,” the eyewitness said. “They had reinforced the upper structure, but the pillars at the bottom were weak… Labourers were working down below and got buried”.
The eyewitness estimated that at least 25 to 30 children resided in the boys’ and girls’ PG accommodations in the immediate vicinity.
Sharma described the incident as “extremely tragic” and “heartbreaking,” noting that students from various regions reside there to study.
He revealed that some of the trapped children were placing phone calls from beneath the rubble. “Other children remain trapped inside… Continuous rescue efforts are underway, and we are praying for their safety,” he said.
The Delhi Fire Services received the emergency call at 1:33pm, and rescue teams reached the site at 1:50pm to launch search operations.
Multiple specialised units, including Search and Rescue, Breathing Apparatus, and Water Bowser teams, have been deployed.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed deep concern over the disaster, stating that emergency teams from the DDMA, NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, MCD, CATS, and Civil Defence are carrying out rescue operations on a “war footing”.
The chief minister confirmed that an adjacent building was vacated as a precautionary measure to ensure public safety. However, another eyewitness stated that the adjacent building had also collapsed during the incident.
The chief minister has dispatched the full emergency response team to the spot. RK Puram’s Member of Parliament (MP), Harsh Malhotra, is in constant telephonic contact to monitor the situation.
Emergency teams are continuing their rescue operations as they search for those trapped under the rubble.
