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Delhi Building Collapse Kills 7, Rescue Efforts Continue
Confirmed
In Short: Rescue teams are searching the rubble of a collapsed building in Delhi, which housed mostly students, after at least seven people died and dozens were trapped.
Rescue teams are searching the rubble of the collapsed building in Delhi, which housed mostly students, after at least seven people died and dozens were trapped. The building, located near a Delhi University campus in Satya Niketan, collapsed around 13:30 local time on Sunday. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated, 'The most important thing for us is to save the lives of these students. Rescue operations will carry on.
Eyewitnesses told local media that two-to-four dozen people were inside the five-storey building when it came down. Gupta said, 'accumulation of water, combined with ongoing repair work in the basement' of the building, Hostel Daze, caused it to collapse. On Monday morning, Gupta said, 'approximately 80% of the debris had been cleared' from the building, which sits a short distance from a Delhi University college.
An adjacent building was evacuated as a precautionary measure, and local media reports say it would be demolished on Monday. A civic official said they were trying to ascertain whether any digging or structural work was carried out in the building recently. Gupta added, 'Given the incessant rain, we are examining the possibility of seepage weakening the structure. Repair or other work could also have contributed to the collapse. At this stage, however, it is difficult to establish the exact cause.
Police have registered a case against the owner of the building and are searching for him. The National Students' Union of India called on the government to investigate the cause of the collapse and hold anyone found responsible to account. A student, Shivam Yadav, said, 'Most of the buildings in Satya Niketan are overloaded.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- An eyewitness who was at his shop nearby when the tragedy struck told news agency ANI that the building collapse sounded "like the rumble of an earthquake".
- Sharma, who often visited a friend who lived in the building and narrowly escaped the accident, said a bed in the building cost 18,000 rupees ($190: £140) a month, making it affordable for students.