Several people are feared trapped after a multi-storey building collapsed in Delhi’s Seemapuri area on Wednesday, according to officials.
Eight people have been rescued so far, while local residents and family members said five people were still missing.
The incident occurred a month after a hostel collapse in Satya Niketan that left seven people dead and several others injured.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received information about the building collapse at around 3:30pm and sent fire engines to the scene. “Search and rescue operation is ongoing,” a DFS official said.
Images from the site showed large crowds gathered around the debris. Some people were using their bare hands to move concrete slabs and clear the rubble, while others recorded the scene on their mobile phones.
The Delhi Traffic Police urged people to stay away from the area to help ambulances and rescue vehicles reach the site more quickly.
“A multi-storey building has collapsed in Seemapuri and rescue teams are working at the site,” the Delhi Traffic Police said in a post on X.
It said traffic movement was affected around Seemapuri Gol Chakkar, DLF Bhopura and nearby roads, and urged people not to stop, park or gather near the site and to follow traffic personnel’s instructions.
A local resident said residents had rescued four to five people and taken them to hospitals while the rescue operation continued.
“Police came after half an hour. There is a child still trapped and some have been rescued by people and sent to hospitals. I have given CPR myself. Two to three people have been sent to hospital,” the resident said.
Local residents claimed that the building had developed cracks after tremors were felt across Delhi-NCR following an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday night.
Officials, however, said the actual cause of the collapse would be established after an investigation.
