New Delhi: The death toll in the building collapse in Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar has climbed to three after rescue officials recovered the remains of another person from the debris, officials said Saturday.
According to the officials, the deceased has been identified as Pankaj Sharma (40), a resident of Hanuman Nagar in Bihar’s Khagaria district.
“With this recovery, a total of five people have been rescued/recovered from the debris, including three deceased persons and two injured persons. Both injured persons have received medical treatment and are now stable,” rescue officials said.
Rescue operations are still underway.
The three-storey under-construction building collapsed Thursday. According to the officials, the information about the collapse was received at 9:50 a.m. from Gali Sitara, near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station.
Subsequently, a massive rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was launched.
Two bodies were recovered Thursday, while one injured person was rescued and sent to the hospital for treatment.
According to the police, the construction work underway in a now-collapsed building in Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar area was illegal, and the building was unsafe.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation suspended its Junior Engineer (JE) and Assistant Engineer (AE), and an FIR has been registered against the contractor following the tragedy.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has assured that every possible effort will be made to evacuate those trapped under the debris. She said an investigation is underway and strict action will be taken against those responsible.
