3 dead, 8 injured in Seemapuri building collapse; pregnant woman, child among victims

NEW DELHI: At least three people, including a pregnant woman and a child, were killed and eight others, including a three-year-old child, were injured after a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area on Wednesday, officials said.Eight people were rescued in an injured condition and shifted to hospitals, officials added. The body of a child aged around a year and a half, with its head severed, was also recovered from the rubble.The collapse triggered a massive search-and-rescue operation involving multiple agencies, with teams continuing to clear the debris in search of anyone who may still be trapped underneath.The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) received a call about the collapse at around 3:30 pm and rushed fire tenders to the spot. Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) also joined the rescue operation.Locals were among the first to assist in the rescue efforts. Visuals from the spot showed residents using their hands to remove bricks and rubble from the collapsed structure and helping people trapped underneath.In one video clip, a group of people could be seen pulling a woman out of the debris and carrying her away in their arms. Several people were also seen crying and appearing distressed near the site.Heavy machinery, including excavators, was later deployed to remove large piles of rubble. Paramedics and emergency personnel attended to those rescued and shifted the injured to hospitals."Eight injured people, including a child aged three years, have been rescued. The operation is ongoing and further details regarding the incident are being collected," a police officer said.The exact cause of the collapse has not yet been ascertained. However, authorities are examining whether cracks that appeared in the structure following tremors caused by an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening may have contributed to the incident.According to the MCD, neighbours claimed that the building developed cracks after the earthquake and that its owner was in the process of vacating it."According to statements of neighbours, the building had developed cracks due to the earthquake last night and the owner was vacating it," the civic body said.The MCD said the building was around 20-25 years old and was occupied when the incident occurred. According to local enquiries, families involved in ragpicking were present in the area, with some collecting plastic and other material when they became trapped under the debris.Police said the structure stood on a plot measuring approximately 225 square feet. The MCD, however, described it as a three-storey structure in a jhuggi-jhopri area spread over around 22 square yards in the DUSIB area near Idgah Machhli Mandi."In addition to the building, walls of an adjoining building have fallen, while the boundary wall of a nearby mosque has also collapsed due to the impact of the incident," the MCD said.The civic body said emergency teams from the DFS, Delhi Police, MCD, DDMA, NDRF and DUSIB reached the site and immediately launched rescue operations."Eight people were rescued and sent to hospitals. Joint teams of the NDRF, the MCD, the DFS, the Delhi Police and the DDMA are engaged in clearing the debris and searching the affected area," it said.There was a discrepancy in the number of people rescued in the initial statements issued by the police and the MCD.Locals said they could hear the voices of people trapped beneath the debris as the rescue operation continued.A resident of the area said several people were rescued and taken to hospitals by locals."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 hospitals," he said.The collapse comes a month after a building in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan collapsed on September 6, leaving seven people dead and 12 injured.Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory asking commuters to avoid the Seemapuri area as traffic movement was affected around the Seemapuri roundabout, DLF Bhopura and adjoining roads.It appealed to people not to stop, park or gather near the site, saying that keeping the lanes clear would allow ambulances and rescue vehicles to move faster.(With agency inputs)You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in DelhiStay updated with the latest Delhi news. Download the TOI App.