Building Collapse

Delhi Building collapse: Death toll rises to 7, rescue operation underway

The death toll in the three-storey building collapse in central Delhi's Hauz Qazi area rose to seven on Sunday after another body was recovered from the debris, with rescue operations underway for more than 70 hours, an official said. The deceased has been identified as Luchhuman Mukhiya, 66, a resident of Bihar's Darbhanga. His body was recovered during the ongoing search and rescue operation at the collapsed structure near Chawri Bazar. The mortal remains have been shifted to LNJP Hospital for further proceedings. With the latest recovery, seven bodies have been pulled out of the rubble so far. Rescue personnel are still searching the debris for any other possible victims. The building collapsed around 9.45 am on November 5, when construction work was underway. The rescue operation has been going on for over 70 hours since the incident. The deceased have been identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu, Dinesh Sah and Luchhuman Mukhiya. Four of the

Old Delhi building collapse: Toll rises to 6; owner among 4 arrested

The toll in the three-storey building collapse in Old Delhi's Hauz Qazi area rose to three on Saturday after the body of another labourer was recovered from the debris during the ongoing rescue operations, officials said. The deceased has been identified as Pankaj Sharma (40), a resident of Hanuman Nagar village in Bihar's Khagaria district, they said. After nearly 48 hours of operation at the site, five people have been pulled out of the debris -- three dead and two injured persons. Both injured persons have received medical treatment and are stable. The building under construction collapsed in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar Metro station around 9.45 am on Thursday. The operation to find more people and clear the rubble continued at the site. Around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the construction site when the three-storey structure came crashing down, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh had said. Earlier, two labourers, identified as Kishori (40) and .

Chawri Bazar building collapse: Rescue operation enters second day

Rescue operations at the site of a three-storey building collapse in Old Delhi's congested Chawri Bazar area are still underway 24 hours after the incident that left two people dead and several trapped, officials said. The building located in Gali Sitara near the Chawri Bazar Metro station collapsed around 9.45 am on Thursday, triggering a massive rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the construction site when the building came crashing down, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said. Rescue teams have so far pulled out four people from the debris of the building that was under construction. Of them, two labourers, identified as Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45), died, while Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37) are recovering from their injuries, police said. Four people were separately taken out of the debris ...

Chawri Bazar building collapse: CM orders inquiry, FIR against contractor

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday ordered an inquiry into the collapse of a three-storey building under construction in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazar, which claimed two lives and left four others injured, and directed the registration of an FIR against the contractor. The chief minister also ordered the immediate suspension of the concerned junior engineer (JE) and assistant engineer (AE) in connection with the incident. She directed officials to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured and provide immediate ex-gratia assistance to the affected families. "Stringent action will be taken against those found responsible, in accordance with the law," the chief minister said. The building collapsed around 9.50 am in Gali Sitara, near the Chawri Bazar Metro station, police said. Two bodies were pulled out from the debris by a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) rescue team, while four injured people were taken to a hospital by locals before the fire department teams arrive

Two killed after 3-storey building collapses in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar

A three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar on Thursday, with several people feared trapped under the debris, officials said. The incident was reported at 9.50 am from Gali Sitara, near the Chawri Bazaar Metro station. At least six fire units, including water tenders and rescue vehicles, have been rushed to the spot with senior officers supervising the rescue operation, the officials said. Further details are awaited.

30 killed, over 40 injured as school roof collapses in Pakistan's Peshawar

At least 29 children, most of them below the age of 13, and a teacher were killed and more than 40 people injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on Thursday, police said. The incident occurred in Dir Colony in the inner city area, Peshawar Capital City Police chief Mian Saeed said. The owner of the three-storey school has been arrested, he said, adding that the roof was poorly constructed. The owner was operating the institution as an education trust, Saeed said. A total of 110 children were enrolled at the school and 30 students were present in classrooms on the upper floor when the roof collapsed, he said. According to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Muhammad Asim, 29 students, including six girls, and a lady teacher were killed in the incident. Over 40 people, including 20 students, were also injured, he said. An emergency was declared at the hospital to treat the injured, Asim said, add

Delhi building collapse in Seemapuri: Toll rises to 4; rescue ops continue

One more body was recovered from the debris of a four-storey building in New Seemapuri, taking the death toll to four, while eight injured people are undergoing treatment at a Delhi hospital

Best of BS Opinion: Modest charges will enable healthy growth of UPI

Today's Best of BS Opinion weighs UPI's funding model, freight corridor gains, India's AI strategy, Delhi's student housing crisis and J S Deepak's memoir

Satya Niketan collapse: Court denies bail to Hariram Gupta, cites 7 deaths

Delhi court rejected Hariram Gupta's bail plea, citing the early stage of investigation, seven deaths and his alleged involvement in work at the Satya Niketan building

Fragmented rules complicate building safety oversight across Indian cities

Differing rules across states and cities, uneven adoption of the National Building Code, and weak enforcement have complicated construction oversight even as Indian cities expand rapidly

Delhi building collapse: Court rejects anticipatory bail of accused

A Delhi court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of an accused in the Satya Niketan building collapse case, in which seven people died. Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Laler was hearing the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Shubham Tyagi, who was allegedly co-running a paying guest (PG) facility in the building that was reduced to rubble on September 6. The judge rejected the plea considering the totality of the circumstances -- the deaths in the incident, Tyagi's rent agreement for the second and third floors that was "suppressed" in the plea seeking the relief and the "contemporaneous and mirrored lease in favour of co-accused Sudhanshu, with each signing as witness on the other's deed". The court also noted that there was a "disclosure of a partnership in running PGs at Satya Niketan" and the need for further investigation into knowledge, consent and the financial or operational role of the applicant (Tyagi)". It, however, clarified that nothing in the order could be

MCD intensifies demolition drive across Delhi after Satya Niketan collapse

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) continued its demolition and enforcement drive against dangerous buildings, unauthorised construction and violations of building norms across all 12 zones of the national capital on Thursday, days after the collapse of a paying guest accommodation in Satya Niketan killed seven people and injured at least five. Visuals from areas such as Laxmi Nagar, Jagatpuri and Pandav Nagar showed civic teams carrying out demolition and enforcement action against structures found in violation of building norms. In the last 2-3 days, MCD teams also carried out action in Vishwas Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh, Tilak Nagar, Karam Pura, Karol Bagh, Ramesh Nagar, Mansarovar Garden, Chandni Chowk and Nehru Vihar, with the drive expected to continue there. The MCD, meanwhile, also resumed the controlled demolition of the building adjoining the one that collapsed in Satya Niketan on September 6. Officials said the structure was being demolished i

Delhi building collapse: HC seeks govt's reply on hostel facilities for DU

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought response of the Centre, city government and Delhi University on a plea by the NSUI president seeking hostel facility in all the colleges of Delhi University. The public interest litigation (PIL) raised the issue of "acute and long standing shortage of affordable and adequate institutional hostel accommodation for students studying in the Delhi University. The plea by National Students' Union of India (NSUI) president Vinod Jakhar has been filed in the wake of the collapse of a Satya Niketan building, which was being used as a private paying guest accommodation by students, on September 6 resulting in the death of seven persons and several injured. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the Central government, Delhi government and Delhi University and asked them to file their replies on the petition. The court listed the petition for September 25 and tagged it with another similar matter ...

Delhi CM orders inspections of illegal constructions, action to follow

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directed civic authorities to inspect paying guest accommodations across the city and examine building records to identify when illegal constructions came up and fix responsibility of the agencies and officials concerned, CMO officials said on Wednesday. CM Gupta has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to launch a crackdown on illegal constructions, including carrying out demolition action, and ensure that all senior civic officials remain on the ground during the enforcement drive. The chief minister has also ordered an intensive inspection of all PG accommodations in Delhi, with particular focus on illegal constructions, the officials added. Authorities have also been asked to examine building records to ascertain the year in which unauthorised constructions came up and under whose jurisdiction and responsibility they occurred. Action against illegal constructions was carried out in several parts of the city on Wednesday as part

Delhi building collapse: PG operator arrested, police probe lease agreement

A PG operator has been arrested in connection with the collapse of a five-storey building in Delhi's Satya Niketan that left seven people dead, as police are probing the role of the leaseholders of the building on lease and the construction and repair work carried out there, sources said on Wednesday. Sudhanshu, one of the two business partners running the 'Hostel Daze' PG, was arrested during the investigation and is being questioned by police, sources said. Police sources said the building owner Mahesh had leased the property to Sudhanshu and his business partner Shubham Tyagi in August 2025. The duo subsequently started operating the premises as a paying guest accommodation under the name 'Hostel Daze'. Tyagi is currently absconding and efforts are underway to trace him, the sources said. A labour contractor, Sanoj, has already been apprehended in connection with the case. He is being brought from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi for questioning over the construction and repair

MCD begins demolition of building beside collapsed Satya Niketan structure

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday began the controlled demolition of a building adjoining the structure that collapsed in south Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6, officials said. An MCD official said the building had been declared dangerous. "We started demolition of the adjoining building today, and the work was stopped in the evening. The demolition exercise will resume tomorrow morning," the official said. The building housed a girls' paying guest accommodation and was evacuated after the collapse of the neighbouring five-storey structure, which left at least seven people dead and five injured on Sunday. The same day, the MCD issued an order for property no 13 in Satya Niketan, directing the owner or occupier to tear down the structure, citing it as a threat to residents and neighbouring buildings. MCD officials had earlier said that the students had already vacated the building and were returning only to collect their belongings before the demolition. Ear

Basement construction underway before Satya Niketan building fell: Police

Additional DCP Abhimanyu Poswal stated that the accused Hariram Gupta admitted to overseeing renovations in the basement

Delhi building collapse: PG operator, wife sent to judicial custody

A Delhi court on Monday sent a married couple arrested in connection with the Satya Niketan building collapse, which claimed seven lives, to 14 days of judicial custody, while their son was remanded to two days' police custody. Hariram Gupta, 81, and his wife, Urmila Gupta, 75, were sent to 14 days of judicial custody, while their 52-year-old son Mahesh Gupta was remanded to two days' police custody after they were produced at the judge's house. Seven people were killed after the decades-old building, which housed a paying guest accommodation for boys, collapsed in Satya Niketan on Sunday. According to police, Hariram Gupta had the building's electricity connection in his name, while his son handled its day-to-day management. The property was registered in the name of Urmila Gupta, documents revealed. The family is being probed for its role in running the PG accommodation and the renovation being carried out in the basement a likely cause of the building's collapse. The police .

MCD orders building inspections across Delhi after Satya Niketan collapse

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday directed its executive engineers (building) across all zones to inspect structures under their jurisdiction and submit comprehensive reports by September 10, following the deadly building collapse in south Delhi's Satya Niketan killing seven people, officials said. Officials said the information collected during the inspections would be incorporated into an affidavit to be filed before the Delhi High Court within 10 days. The inspections and submission of reports will be personally monitored and supervised by the additional commissioners concerned in each zone, according to the order, they added. In a separate administrative arrangement following the collapse, IAS officer Shashvat Saurabh was given the additional charge of managing MCD's South Zone after Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar was suspended on Monday. The MCD suspended Kumar and four engineering officials pending disciplinary proceedings after a building collapsed in Saty

All fall down

Ill-financed municipalities are endangering citizens