Four people were killed while 14 others were injured after a five-story building collapsed in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area, police officials said on Wednesday.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M. Harsh Vardhan, a building collapse call was received from the Bapa Nagar area. It was found that following the collapse, people were trapped under the rubble.
The DCP added that a rescue operation was initiated by local police along with Delhi Fire Services (DFS) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The operation concluded at 5:30 pm with a total 18 people being rescued.
“Total 18 people were pulled out from the debris and shifted to hospital, of them, four were declared brought dead while two were in critical condition. 11 people are undergoing treatment and one person was discharged after treatment,” stated the officer.
The deceased were identified as a 12-year-old Aman, 25-year-old Mukim, 18-year-old Mujib, and 26-year-old Mosin, all native of Uttar Pradesh and three of them were making ladies’ slippers while Aman had come to visit them, added DCP.
The police registered a case under section 106 (death by negligence), 290 (Negligent conduct with respect to repairing buildings) of BNS and an inquiry has been initiated.
The civic agency has been asked by the police to clear the area.
According to Delhi Fire Services (DFS), they received a house collapse call at 9 am. Responding to the call, five fire tenders rushed to the site to carry out a rescue operation.
Earlier during the day, Delhi Chief Minister-designate Atishi instructed the district magistrate to ensure all necessary support to the victims. She urged the public to report any potential risks of similar incidents to the authorities.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly twitter), Atishi posted, “The collapse of a building in Karol Bagh is deeply unfortunate. I have directed the District Magistrate to provide every possible help to the victims and ensure that anyone injured receives prompt treatment”.
She added, “We must also investigate the cause of this accident and have already spoken to the Municipal Corporation Mayor regarding the incident. Given the heavy rains this year, I urge the people of Delhi to immediately report any structural concerns to the administration or Municipal Corporation and the government will provide immediate assistance in this regard.”