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Seven Dead in Delhi PG Collapse, Rescue Efforts Ongoing
Developing
In Short: Rescue teams are working to save survivors after a building collapse in Delhi, killing seven students and trapping dozens more.
Soni, a second-year B.Com student at Delhi University’s Motilal Nehru College (Evening), had moved to Delhi a year ago to pursue his dream of becoming a chartered accountant. His plans were abruptly derailed when a PG accommodation housing DU students collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, killing seven people and trapping dozens more.
The collapse of the five-storey building, which housed mostly students, occurred around 13:30 local time on Sunday. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that the building had only been 40 or 50 years old and that the collapse was likely due to the accumulation of water and ongoing repair work in the basement. Gupta also noted that the building owner has been arrested, and five senior civic officials of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) have been suspended following the tragedy.
The National Students' Union of India called on the government to investigate the cause of the collapse and hold anyone found responsible to account. "Negligence with the safety of students and common people will not be tolerated at any cost," the union said. Meanwhile, the MCD has suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers following the building collapse.
The area around the site of the collapse is teeming with rescue workers in bright orange uniforms, and the BBC found that the building in the Satya Niketan neighbourhood of southwest Delhi, which sits a short distance from Delhi University's south campus, was evacuated over concerns that it could also collapse.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Twelve people have been rescued, with the Delhi High Court indicating that responsibility could extend beyond the PG owner to Delhi University and civic authorities as it flagged the “absolutely inadequate” number of hostels available to students.
- He had last been home for Raksha Bandhan, returning to Delhi on August 31.
- “The most important thing for us is to save the lives of these students. Rescue operations will carry on,” Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told local news outlets.
- Rescuers are digging through the rubble a day after a residential building collapsed in the Indian capital, Delhi, killing at least seven people.
- A majority of the residents were students and many were thought to be in their rooms at the time of the collapse as there were no lessons on Sunday.
- 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".
- "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," he said.
- It's not clear how many people were inside the five-storey building in south-west Delhi - or if there are still people under the debris.
Sources
- The Indian Expresslink