One particular person died whereas round 40-50 are feared trapped after a constructing, which was a boys’ PG, collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan space on Sunday afternoon, officers mentioned. Rescue groups had been working on the website, whereas the injured individuals had been taken to AIIMS Delhi for remedy, they added.
Witnesses additionally helped with the rescue operation, clearing the rubble by hand and utilizing no matter gear was accessible to seek for these trapped beneath. Police mentioned they don’t but have the precise quantity of people that could possibly be trapped or injured. Follow live updates related to the building collapse here.
‘Felt like an earthquake’: Witnesses describe second constructing collapsed
An eyewitness mentioned the collapse was preceded by a sound that reminded him of an earthquake, after which individuals trapped inside started shouting, “save us”.
“We had been sitting inside it after we immediately heard a sound—just like the rumble of an earthquake. We rushed out instantly; there was loads of smoke and dirt right here. The complete constructing had collapsed,” he instructed information company ANI.
“Sounds are nonetheless coming from throughout the rubble – kids crying out, ‘Save us, save us!’… There are at the least 25–30 kids,” he added.
One other witness instructed information company PTI that the constructing started shaking in a method that made individuals consider an earthquake had struck.
“The complete constructing shook as if it had been on the epicentre of a significant earthquake. We genuinely thought an earthquake had struck,” he mentioned.
‘Buildings standing like dominoes’
The witness, who spoke to PTI, mentioned one other PG within the space was additionally susceptible to collapse, as buildings there are “standing like dominoes, if one goes down, others may comply with”.
“College students journey from far-off, and it’s tragic that they’re dropping their lives as a result of defective infrastructure,” he added.
Round 50-60 college students inside: Scholar tells HT
Garv Vashist, a 22-year-old DU pupil ready outdoors the AIIMS trauma centre for his pal, mentioned there have been round 50 to 60 college students within the constructing.
“It was Sunday and was raining, so largely all had been inside. I rushed to the constructing, however after half an hour of failed makes an attempt to find my pal, I got here to the hospital. All we all know is that there are 4 individuals contained in the trauma centre, however unsure if my pal is inside,” Vashist instructed HT.
‘There was nobody to assist’, NSUI alleges
Vinod Jakhar, President of the Nationwide College students’ Union of India, the scholar wing of the Congress occasion, instructed ANI that there was nobody to help the scholars trapped inside when he reached the PG after studying that certainly one of his NSUI colleagues was caught there.
“We occurred to be close by after we obtained a name from an NSUI colleague saying {that a} fellow employee was trapped inside. A colleague of ours lived in that PG, and by the point we arrived, the complete constructing had collapsed… There was nobody there to assist, no police, no administration, no medical amenities, and no hearth brigade… We began to clear the particles and rescue the scholars,” he mentioned.
What Delhi CM mentioned on incident
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta mentioned a number of businesses had been concerned within the rescue operation and warranted the affected households of fast help.
“Deeply involved by the constructing collapse incident at Satya Niketan, RK Puram,” Gupta mentioned in a submit on X.
Groups from the Delhi Catastrophe Administration Authority (DDMA), Nationwide Catastrophe Response Power (NDRF), Delhi Hearth Companies, Delhi Police, Municipal Company of Delhi (MCD), Centralised Accident and Trauma Companies (CATS) and Civil Defence are finishing up the rescue operation, she mentioned.
(With inputs from Gargi Shukla, Hemani Bhandari and businesses)