Infant among nine injured in two separate building collapse incidents in Delhi

Two separate building collapse incidents in West Delhi have left nine people, including an infant, injured, officials said on Monday.
In the first incident, two houses collapsed following a cylinder blast, with seven people injured in the collapse of an old double-storey building and two people hurt in the collapse of a single-storey building, they said.

The Delhi Fire Services officials said it was informed about the collapse around 5.15 am.

The victims were rescued by fire personnel and rushed to a hospital with the help of the public and police, a Delhi Fire Services official said.

The police rushed to the spot after houses D-1/100 and D-1/100A at Kunwar Singh Nagar, Street Number – 10 in Nangloi collapsed.

Delhi Fire Services vehicles, two PCR vans, five ambulances, a Delhi Disaster Management Authority vehicle and a minibus of the Disaster Management Service also reached the spot, a senior police officer said.

Seven people were injured in the collapse of D-1/100, an old double-storey building. Two people were hurt in the collapse of the single-storey D-1/100A, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Harendra Singh said.

The injured were rescued from the debris with the help of local residents and fire services staff members and admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri, he said.

Among the injured were five males, including a five-year-old boy, and four females, including two children aged five years and six months, the police said.

The injured have been identified as Ajay Kumar (50), Mannu (16), Vikas (35), Parmod (35), Tushar alias Kushal (5), Pramod’s wife Poonam (35), Simar alias Darshna (32), Poonam’s daughter Bhumi (six months) and Anna alias Tusti (5), the police said.

Six of the injured are out of danger. Tushar was referred to a higher medical facility for opinion on plastic surgery. Simar, who suffered 40 per cent burn injuries, was also referred to a higher medical centre. Anna is admitted in the intensive care unit of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the police said.

Crime and Forensic Science Laboratory teams were also called in.

The Forensic Science Laboratory team, however, could not examine the spot due to the buildings’ hazardous condition, the police said.

Inquiries revealed that the buildings collapsed due to a cylinder blast. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Subdivional Magistrate (Punjabi Bagh) were informed about the incident, they said.

The police have registered a case under sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible mat ter) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.

Ravinder Singh, a neighbour of the victims, said they rescued them from the debris after the blast.

“We heard a loud noise and rushed to the spot. When we were rescuing the victims, Simran (one of the injured victims) told us there was a leakage in the cooking gas cylinder. The incident occurred when she turned on the gas to warm milk for her child. We started the rescue operation within five minutes,” he added.

In another incident, a building collapsed in west Delhi’s Tagore Garden around 11.30 pm on Sunday.

Fire officials said the building was situated opposite a Delhi Metro pillar. The building collapsed while digging was underway at an adjacent plot. No casualties have been reported.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Akshat Kaushal said, “Teams of police, fire services and National Disaster Response Force are at the site. The rescue operation has been going on since Sunday night. So far, no causalities have been reported. Necessary legal action is being initiated.”

The police responded to a call regarding the building caving in at Tagore Garden and reached the spot with the fire brigade and teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and the National Disaster Response Force.

The 200-square-yard commercial building comprising a basement, upper ground, first, second and third floors housed a makeup studio, gym and the offices of a private bank.

A case has been registered under sections 288 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 34 (common intension) of the Indian Penal Code at Rajouri Garden police station, Kaushal said.

The National Disaster Response Force team inspected the debris using the laser technique and verbally reported that no human seemed to be trapped. Further investigation is underway, the police said.

According to the police, digging was underway on the adjacent plot and a probe is underway to ascertain whether it caused the building to collapse.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government is in contact with the rescue teams.

“Both incidents are tragic. The district administrations in both areas are engaged in relief and rescue operations. We are in constant contact with the rescue teams. I pray for everyone’s wellbeing,” he tweeted in Hindi. (With inputs from PTI)