Six dead, 8 injured in Delhi building collapse; rescue ops underway

Six people, including a two-year-old girl, died and eight sustained injuries when a four-storey building collapsed in the Welcome area of northeast Delhi on Saturday morning, an official said.

The bodies of the owner of the building, his wife, two sons and two others were retrieved from the debris and sent to GTB Hospital, he said.

Eight people have been hospitalised, while attempts are underway to rescue those still trapped under the rubble. Multiple agencies, including the NDRF, have been deployed for rescue operations, the official said.

A senior police officer said, "Around 7.04 am on Saturday, we received information regarding the collapse of a four-storey building near Idgah, Welcome. When the police team reached the spot, they found that three storeys of the building had collapsed."  "So far, eight injured persons have been rescued -- seven have been shifted to JPC Hospital and one to GTB Hospital for treatment. All the listed missing persons have been rescued; however, the rescue operation is still ongoing," he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Sandeep Lamba said, "The owner of the building, Matloob, lived in the building with his family members. The ground floor and first floor were unoccupied. The building opposite also sustained damage."  Matloob, 50, his wife Rabia, 46, and two sons -- Javed, 23, and Abdulla, 15 -- died in the incident. Two more, including Zubia, 27, and her two-year-old daughter Fozia, also perished.

The injured included Matloob's two other sons -- Parvez, 32, his wife Siza, and their one-year-old son Ahmad, 21, and Naved, 19.

Govind, 60, his brother Ravi Kashyap, 27, and their wives Deepa, 56, and Jyoti, 27, who lived in the opposite building, were also hospitalised with injuries.

Anees Ahmad Ansari, another person from the opposite building, said he too sustained minor injuries in the incident.

"As the building collapsed, the rubble hit our building, and I also got injured. Everyone, including locals, is busy trying to rescue the family. We hope that they are safe," he said.

The building collapsed when locals were out on their morning walks, many of whom acted as first responders and began trying to rescue those trapped before fire officials arrived at the spot.

Seven fire tenders rushed to the site at Gali No. 5 at Janta Colony close to Idgah road in Seelampur for rescue operations, Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg said.

Asma, who lives in the neighbourhood, told PTI, "Around 7 am, I was in my house when I heard a loud noise and there was dust all over. When I came down, I saw that our neighbour's home had collapsed."  "We don't know how many are trapped, but a family of 10 people lives there," she said.

Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari in a post on X said, "A tragic incident has occurred in the JJ Cluster area of Welcome, located in the Seelampur Assembly segment of our Lok Sabha constituency, where a three-storey building has collapsed. The NDRF has reached the spot and is engaged in the rescue operation."  "I have spoken to the officials. Due to the extremely narrow lanes, only 2-3 feet wide, the operation is facing some difficulties. However, four people have been rescued and taken to the hospital. They are out of danger. Sadly, two fatalities have been reported," he added.

Tiwari said that one or two people may still be trapped.

"As the area is very congested, we request everyone to avoid entering the lanes until the operation is complete. Senior officials are present at the site," he posted.