Tragic! 11 died in northeast Delhi building collapse

Delhi: A multi-storey residential building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Shakti Vihar area in the early hours of Saturday, leaving 11 people dead and 11 injured, officials said.

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

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.

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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.

“The property is located in an unauthorized colony characterized by a densely populated area with narrow lanes. As per local inquiry and inputs from police sources, it was found that the said property, with an approximate plot area of 60 square yards, consisted of a Ground Floor plus three additional storeys. The structure was reported to be around 20 years old and was fully occupied”, as per a senior MCD official.

“The field staff of the Maintenance, Building, and Sanitation Departments are currently engaged in clearing the debris (malba) from the site as well as surrounding properties to ensure safety and support rescue operations. These efforts are being carried out in close coordination with the police and rescue teams”, he added.

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(With inputs from PTI)