New Delhi: So far 12 individuals have been rescued in the search operations launched in near Saket metro station in Delhi on Saturday evening. A three storey building collapsed in Delhi’s Saidullajab area triggering a large scale rescue operation. 2 out of the 12 rescued are said to be critically injured. 3 people were rescued by local and PCR personnel before firefighters arrived, while others were pulled out by DFS personnel with assistance from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The building is said to accommodate a coaching institute, cafes and offices.
According to Delhi Fire Services, a distress call was recieved at around 7:45 pm after the entire structure was reduced to massive mound of rubble, with twisted metal and broken concrete slabs scattered across the site. “The third floor was under construction. It is not clear whether the building was privately owned or a government building, said an unidentified official.” The structure reportedly fell on the adjacent establishment a canteen, where students were having dinner and were trapped under the rubble. According to witnesses 35 students were having dinner during the time of collapse.
Witnesses said cries for help could be heard from beneath the debris. “All we could hear were screams coming from under the rubble. There was a huge cloud of dust. When it settled, we realised that part of an adjoining structure had also been affected,” a local resident said.
Dharamveer Singh, an official from the district magistrate’s office present at the site, said rescue personnel were working to reach those still trapped underneath.
Firefighters, NDRF personnel, and police teams have been deployed for the task. Heavy machinery, including JCB excavators, have been pressed into service to carefully remove debris. Teams are using hydraulic cutters and jacks to cut through steel girders and concrete slabs, while specialised equipment such as victim-location cameras, earth-auger drilling machines and trained sniffer dogs are on the site to search the debris.
An investigation will subsequently be conducted to examine ownership of the building, whether necessary permissions had been obtained for construction activities and whether any lapses contributed to the collapse.