11 killed, 11 injured as four-storey building collapses in Delhi's Mustafabad

Eleven persons, including three children, were killed and 11 others were injured after a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Mustafabad area in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.

According to a fire department official, a call regarding the building collapse was received at 2.50 am following which nine fire tenders-cum-rescue vehicles were rushed to Gali No. 1, Shakti Vihar in Dayalpur.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire services, Delhi Police and other volunteers carried out rescue efforts for over 12 hours at the site of the 20-year-old four-storey structure that collapsed in the Mustafabad area of the National Capital around 3 am.

A senior police officer said the police received information about the building collapse around 3.02 am at Dayalpur police station.

“Upon reaching the location, it was found that a four-storey building belonging to Tehsin had collapsed, reportedly trapping 22 individuals,” he said.

Fourteen persons were rescued and shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where doctors declared four of them brought dead, the police officer said.

A police source said construction work in “two-three shops” on the ground floor could have led to the collapse.

NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi said, “We call this a ‘pancake collapse’ -- a particularly dangerous type where chances of survival are minimal. Still, we hope there are lives that can be saved and we are actively searching.”

He added that debris was cleared slowly as this is a highly congested area, making the rescue efforts challenging.

The use of heavy machinery was limited due to space constraints, he said.

The deceased include Tehseen (60), the owner of the building, his son Nazeem (30), his wife Shahina (28), and their three children, Anas (6), Afreen (2) and Afan (2), and the owner’s younger daughter-in-law Chandni (23).

Danish (23) and Naved (17), who are brothers, Reshma (38) and Ishaq (75) also died in the incident.

Six people were discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment, which included the owner’s son Chand (25) while nine people, including Tehseen’s wife, remain under treatment.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a probe into the incident and expressed sadness over the incident.

Locals said construction work going on at a new shop could have triggered the collapse. They also expressed concern about the fragile state of four to five buildings.

Waste water from the sewer has been seeping into the walls of the buildings for years, and over time, the moisture has weakened the structure, causing the walls to develop cracks,” said Salim Ali, another resident.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, in a statement, said that the structure was around 20 years old and was fully occupied.

Meanwhile, Mustafabad MLA Mohan Singh Bisht also arrived at the site of the incident to take stock of the situation. Speaking to reporters, he assured that appropriate legal action would be taken against any officials found negligent.

“I have informed the Delhi LG and the MCD commissioner that action should be taken against the officials for their negligence. Appropriate compensation will be provided to the families of the deceased...” he said.

Bisht also stated that the entire Mustafabad area is filled with illegally constructed buildings and could “cause harm” at any time.

“The power companies are not providing electricity connections to the poor, yet electric poles are found inside the houses. The MCD and other such departments are mired in corruption, and this incident has exposed them,” the MLA stated.

Notably, the national capital is divided into 12 zones, and according to civic agency estimates, the total number of buildings in the city is approximately 35 lakh. —with PTI