New Delhi: A six storey building being used as a paying guest accommodation collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on Sunday afternoon, leaving several people feared trapped under the rubble and prompting a major rescue operation.
The collapse was reported at around 1:30 pm, following which fire tenders, police teams and other emergency personnel rushed to the spot. Rescue workers have been digging through the debris in an effort to locate and bring out those who may still be trapped.
The building was reportedly being used as a 75 bed PG accommodation. An eyewitness at the scene claimed that around 50 students could have been inside when the structure came down. However, authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were actually inside the building at the time of the incident.
According to updates from the site, six people were reported to have been rescued, while Delhi Police had confirmed two rescues in its initial information. Officials have not yet released a final figure for the number of people trapped, injured or killed.
The rescue operation has involved at least 12 fire tenders, an excavator and disaster response teams. Firefighters and police personnel are working alongside local residents as the search continues through the collapsed structure.
The situation has been particularly tense as people at the site reported hearing voices from beneath the debris. A student present at the spot told ANI that cries for help could be heard from under the rubble, raising hopes that more people could still be rescued alive.
BJP MLA Anil Kumar also reached the site and said some students were able to make phone calls from underneath the debris. Rescue teams are therefore working carefully to clear the rubble while trying to reach anyone who may still be trapped.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the rescue operation was being carried out on a “war footing”. The building next to the collapsed structure has also been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
Satya Niketan, located near Delhi University’s South Campus, is a well known student area with numerous hostels and PG accommodations. The incident has therefore raised immediate concerns about the safety of such buildings in the locality.
For now, rescue workers remain focused on the most urgent task finding survivors. The cause of the collapse has not yet been established, and authorities are yet to give a complete account of casualties.
Further details are expected as rescue teams continue their operation at the site.
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