At least five persons, including four women, were killed and over 25 injured when a multi-storey residential building collapsed in the congested Chandni Mahal area of Old Delhi on Tuesday night. Several people are still suspected to be trapped under the debris.
The three-storey building, just a few hundred metres from the local police station, was home to least half-a-dozen families. It came crashing down around 8 p.m.
Families of vegetable vendors dwelling on the pavement right under the building besides some passers-by and rickshaw-pullers were also feared trapped under the debris.
Though locals claimed that a portion of the under-construction building adjacent to it also came down a few minutes later, the police refused to confirm this.
Some labourers and their families were also residing on the rear side of the under-construction building, the locals said.
Municipal Commissioner K. S. Mehra has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the tragic collapse. A similar tragedy at Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi had claimed over 70 lives last November.
“Foundation weakened due to digging”
Local resident Mohammad Wahabuddin (35), who owns a factory in Okhla, said: “Construction work in the building has been going on for the past fortnight. I usually take this route to drop my children to school and I had noticed that the basement of the under-construction building was being dug up. It probably weakened the foundation of the adjacent residential building leading to the collapse. Probably the heavy rain over the past few weeks and the recent tremors also caused some damaged to the building.”
Rescue operations hampered
The rescue operation was badly hampered as the agencies had great difficulty taking ambulances and other large vehicles to the site. “We could not take fire tenders to the site as the by-lanes were too congested. Eventually a team of more than 30 people reached the site on foot carrying hydraulic cutters, portable lights, generators and other rescue equipment. Most of the rescue work is being carried out manually with the help of the locals,” said a Delhi Fire Service official.
A large crowd of onlookers who gathered at the spot slowed down the pace of rescue work.
Mohammad Tabbar (40), who runs a saloon just a few feet away from the site, said: “I was inside the shop when I heard a loud rumbling sound. I immediately rushed and saw the street enveloped in a cloud of dust. I could see people running helter-skelter. I spotted some injured people bleeding profusely and crying for help.”
Soon locals gathered at the spot carrying shovels, spades and candles and helped in pulling out the injured. “The injured were taken to the hospital on rickshaws and scooters,” said Tabbar.
Rescue operations were going on till late at night.
