At least two workers are feared trapped under debris after an under-construction building collapsed in northeast Delhi's Harsh Vihar area on Sunday evening, prompting a rescue operation involving multiple emergency agencies, officials said.
The incident occurred around 6.40 pm in Milan Garden, where an additional floor was being constructed over an old single-storey building. The Delhi Fire Service received information about the collapse at approximately 6.46 pm and immediately dispatched five fire tenders to the location.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Police, Civil Defence and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) reached the spot and began clearing the debris to determine whether anyone was trapped.
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According to police, the building was an old single-storey structure situated on a plot measuring approximately 200 square yards. Construction of an additional floor had been underway for the past few days.
On Sunday, workers were laying a concrete roof slab on the new floor, with the work reportedly continuing until around 5 pm.
Shortly afterwards, the structure collapsed, bringing down the newly constructed portion along with the existing roof.
Preliminary accounts suggested that the old structure might have been unable to withstand the weight of the additional construction. However, authorities have not confirmed the exact cause of the collapse.
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The building's owner, identified as Kulwinder Tanwar, reportedly told police that two labourers might have been working on the ground floor when the structure collapsed.
Most workers involved in laying the roof slab had already left the site before the incident.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Lamba said rescue teams were working to clear the rubble, but the presence of people underneath had not been officially established.
He said the surrounding area was densely built, making it difficult for emergency personnel to identify the collapsed portion and gain access to the debris.
The NDRF deployed a dog squad and specialised equipment to assist in the search operation.
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The collapse triggered panic among residents, many of whom rushed out of their homes after hearing a loud noise.
Local people initially helped remove debris before emergency teams arrived and began organised rescue operations.
Police personnel secured the area while firefighters and disaster response teams continued searching for possible survivors.
Officials were also questioning the property owner to establish the circumstances surrounding the construction work.
At the time of the initial rescue reports, no one had been pulled out of the debris, and authorities had not confirmed any casualties.
The number of people trapped, if any, and the precise cause of the collapse are expected to become clear following the rescue operation and further investigation.