2-yr-old among six dead, 8 hurt as four-storey building collapses

Six people, including a two-year-old girl, died and eight others were injured after a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Welcome locality early on Saturday morning.

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The deceased have been identified as Matloob (50), owner of the ill-fated building, his wife Rabia (46), their sons Javed (23) and Abdulla (15), Zubia (27) and her daughter Fozia (2).

A senior Delhi Police official said a PCR call regarding the collapse of a building near Idgah, Welcome, was received at 7.04 am. After getting information, police and fire officials reached the spot. Seven fire tenders were rushed to spot to carry out rescue operations.

By the time emergency teams arrived, major portion of the structure had already collapsed, trapping several residents. Rescue agencies, including the Delhi Fire Service and NDRF, managed to pull out eight injured persons, including Matloob’s family members, and neighbours from an adjoining building that also suffered damage.

Narrow lanes, barely two to three feet wide, hampered the rescue operations, making it difficult for fire brigade to access the site. The injured persons were admitted to JPC Hospital and GTB Hospital.

Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, who visited the spot, said: “Rescue work is complete, but the situation was extremely challenging due to congestion.” The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained. The police said further investigation was on.