Rescue efforts enter 2nd day at Old Delhi building collapse site

NEW DELHI: Rescue operations at the site of a three-storey building collapse in Old Delhi's congested Chawri Bazar area are still underway 24 hours after the incident that left two people dead and several trapped, officials said.

The building located in Gali Sitara near the Chawri Bazar Metro station collapsed around 9.45 am on Thursday, triggering a massive rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Around 10 to 15 labourers were present at the construction site when the building came crashing down, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said.

Rescue teams have so far pulled out four people from the debris of the building that was under construction. Of them, two labourers, identified as Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45), died, while Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37) are recovering from their injuries, police said.

Four people were separately taken out of the debris earlier by locals.

The rescue operation is being carried out amid concerns over the stability of adjoining structures, with authorities restricting access to the area.

The building was allegedly being constructed without the requisite approval on a 50-square-metre plot. An MCD official said no building plan had been sanctioned for the structure.

The civic body also said that the building construction had reached the third floor and collapsed while the roof slab was being put up. The material used was non-engineered and had not set properly, which eventually led to the collapse, the official said.

Delhi Police had flagged unauthorised construction at the property in June. In a communication dated June 15, the SHO of Hauz Qazi police station had informed the MCD's City Sadar Paharganj Zone about the construction work and identified the landowner and contractor as Furqan.

Police have registered an FIR under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the building owners and contractors. Efforts are underway to trace the builders.