A 23-year-old labourer died after a wall collapsed in North Delhi’s Lahori Gate late on Monday afternoon.
It is suspected that the use of poor construction material could have led to the collapse. A case of causing death by negligence was being registered when this report was filed.
A decision about making arrests would be taken after the probe is completed, said an officer.
The victim, Mukarram, was a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Bataoli village. He worked as a daily-wage labourer and lived close to the collapse site.
The incident happened when Mukarram and some other labourers were working to raise the wall of a shop after pulling down a dilapidated one.
However, when the wall gave way at 4.45 p.m., only Mukarram was working.
Locals to the rescue
Local shopkeepers said the sound of the collapse and a man’s cries for help drew their attention.
Many of them rushed to the collapse site only to find Mukarram buried under rubble. The man was pulled out of the debris and taken to Lok Nayak Hospital.
The police and the fire department were informed soon after the incident.
However, Mukarram succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. He had suffered serious head injuries.
Earlier in April this year, two labourers were killed and a few injured when the top two floors of a building had collapsed in Lahori Gate market — close to Monday’s accident spot.
The incident had forced the disconnection of power supply to the locality, and the local market had to be shut down as rescuers went about searching for survivors.
(The writer is an intern with The Hindu)
