A loud crash jolted residents of Old Delhi's densely populated Chawri Bazar on Thursday morning after a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Gali Sitara, killing at least two people and trapping several labourers beneath the debris.
The incident occurred around 9.50 am near the Chawri Bazar metro station, triggering panic in the neighbourhood as residents rushed out of their homes to find the structure reduced to a heap of concrete slabs, twisted metal and construction debris.
Police said rescue operations were underway to locate and pull out those feared trapped beneath the rubble.
Residents described hearing an unusually loud explosion-like sound, which initially led some to believe that heavy machinery had malfunctioned.
"It was a very loud bang. People who usually wake up around 11 am were jolted awake by the noise. At first, we thought some heavy machinery had burst, but then we realised that a building had collapsed," said 60-year-old Md Irshad.
๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐
According to eyewitnesses, the building did not collapse all at once. The slab of the third floor gave way first, followed by the remaining floors over approximately half an hour.
"The third-floor slab fell first. Then, after some time, the other slabs came down," a resident said.
The staggered collapse allowed some labourers to escape before the entire structure came down, residents said.
Construction work at the site had reportedly been underway for nearly three months, with the third floor completed recently.
Locals said they heard the first crash around 9.45 am and rushed towards the building, only to find workers trapped beneath heavy chunks of masonry.
The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ
Before emergency teams arrived, residents gathered at the site and began removing debris with their bare hands in an attempt to rescue those trapped.
Among them was Abdul, who was passing through the narrow lane when the structure collapsed and narrowly escaped being buried under the rubble.
Instead of leaving the area, he joined the rescue effort and helped pull out at least two injured labourers.
"I was passing through the lane when the building collapsed. I narrowly escaped being caught underneath. Locals gathered to help pull out injured labourers, but the concrete slabs and heavy chunks of masonry were impossible to move by hand," Abdul said.
"We could hear people trapped underneath, but there was little we could do until the rescue teams arrived," he added.
Another resident said one of those pulled out was severely injured and bleeding heavily, while another victim was brought out with the body packed.
"My family members are currently trapped on the other side, but they are fine. Two people have been pulled out. One was severely injured and bleeding heavily, while another body was brought out, packed," he said.
๐ก๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ
The rescue operation faced significant challenges because of the congested layout of the neighbourhood.
At several points, the lane is barely three feet wide, leaving enough space for only two people to stand side by side.
Multi-storey buildings stand close together on either side, while a dense network of overhead electrical wires further restricts movement.
Fire tenders, ambulances and heavy machinery, including excavators, could not enter the lane and had to remain stationed on the main road.
The collapse also blocked smaller passages, making it difficult for rescue personnel to transport equipment and reach the debris.
Residents said the cramped surroundings complicated efforts to remove heavy concrete slabs and locate those trapped underneath.
A local who reached the site around 10.30 am said he witnessed rescue teams pulling a person from the rubble.
He added that authorities were preventing people from approaching the site because of concerns that an adjoining building could also be unstable.
๐๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐
Several residents narrowly escaped being caught in the collapse.
Gilman, who grew up in the neighbourhood, had left for work and reached the metro station barely five minutes before receiving a call from his family informing him about the incident.
"I have grown up in these lanes. I know the people here, I know the buildings. It was difficult to believe that something like this had happened here," he said.
A 65-year-old resident also narrowly escaped injury after rushing towards the building on hearing the crash.
He was approaching the site to help when someone called him back, preventing him from moving closer just as another floor came crashing down.
The incident left residents shaken, particularly those living in houses adjoining the collapsed structure.
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐
Rescue operations continued into the evening as emergency personnel worked through the rubble in search of those feared trapped.
The narrow lane remained crowded with residents, many of whom had witnessed the collapse or participated in the initial rescue effort.
The incident also raised concerns among locals about the structural safety of buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood.
Old Delhi's congested residential areas contain ageing and dilapidated houses standing alongside newly constructed multi-storey structures, often separated by extremely narrow passages.
Residents expressed anxiety about the condition of adjoining buildings and the difficulties emergency services face in reaching such locations.
With rescue operations still underway, authorities continued to restrict access to the immediate area amid concerns about the stability of neighbouring structures.