New Delhi: At least one child was killed and seven people rescued after a five-storey building collapsed in Delhi’s Seemapuri area Wednesday, officials said.
Several others are still feared trapped in the debris as rescue operation is underway.
Speaking to the media, Shahdara Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajendra Prasad Meena said: “Seven persons have been rescued so far.”
Earlier, North East Delhi District Magistrate Ajay Kumar told reporters, “According to preliminary information, the building collapsed between 3 to 3:15 p.m. We received the call by 3:25 p.m., accompanied with location and video details.”
Mentioning that he also oversees the District Disaster Managament Authority (DDMA), Kumar said: “The officials and personnel of the DDMA and the NDRF were immediately informed about the incident and called at the site.”
He added that the SDM, police personnel and MCD officials also reached the spot at the earliest.
Ajay Kumar also said that since the building collapsed on the road, the people trapped include a few passersby and ragpickers.
“According to locals, four to five people might be trapped under a heavy slab, whose voices can be heard from outside,” he said while adding that rescue operation is underway.
A local Salim told the media that children are also trapped inside the debris.
Fire Officer Manish Kumar, part of the team carrying out rescue operations, said that the Delhi Fire Service received the call of the incident at 3:30 p.m.
“Some sounds can be heard from under the slabs, so more casualties might be trapped inside. Efforts are underway to rescue those trapped,” he told the media.
Speaking to the media, a local said that two of his family members have been rescued.
“My daughter, son-in-law and two other children have been rescued and sent to the hospital. Six to seven more people might be trapped inside, rescue operation is underway to bring them out,” he added.
The tragedy in Seemapuri occurred a month after a five-storey building, housing a paying guest accommodation, collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area, claiming seven lives, including five students.
