Two men, believed to be a father and son, died after two slabs of a building collapsed in the Milan Garden area of northeast Delhi on Sunday evening, triggering a rescue operation that continued for nearly 14 hours.
The victims were identified as Chanderpal, 60, and Vijay Kumar, 33. They were trapped beneath the debris and were declared dead after rescue personnel pulled them out and took them to hospital.
The building, owned by Manoj Kumar, housed a godown on the ground floor, with a structure on the first floor. Both the godown and the structure above it collapsed. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Lamba, the property was originally an old, single-storey building, and construction work was underway to add another floor.
The incident took place within the jurisdiction of the Harsh Vihar police station. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, local police, Civil Defence personnel and residents joined the rescue efforts.
Rescue operation continues for nearly 14 hours
The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the collapse at 6.46 pm on Sunday and dispatched five fire tenders to the spot. Rescue teams began clearing the debris amid reports that two people could be trapped underneath.
Divisional Fire Officer Ravinder Singh said the operation continued for nearly 14 hours before being called off. Although the rescue operation has concluded for now, teams will remain deployed at the site as a precaution.
Before the deaths were confirmed, Delhi ministers Kapil Mishra and Ashish Sood visited the site to assess the rescue efforts.
Mishra said firefighters and NDRF personnel were working to locate the trapped men and that no fatalities had been reported at that stage.
"The fire department and NDRF personnel are actively engaged... It is believed that two individuals may be trapped beneath the debris, though there have been no reports of fatalities thus far; efforts are underway to rescue them," he told reporters.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Mishra said all relevant agencies had been mobilised and that the circumstances surrounding the collapse would be investigated.
"All relevant agencies are fully mobilised. This is, without a doubt, an unfortunate incident, and the circumstances surrounding its occurrence will certainly be investigated," he said.
Construction work suspected to have triggered collapse
Lamba said the building was an old, single-storey structure and that work was being carried out to construct an additional floor. He also pointed to difficulties in identifying the exact building because the area was enclosed.
"We received a call that a building had collapsed. The original structure was an old, single-storey building; an additional floor was being constructed on top. The area is completely enclosed, making it difficult to even identify exactly which building collapsed," he said, according to news agency ANI.
Mishra said a preliminary assessment suggested that an attempt to install a new lintel may have caused the collapse of the floor below it, trapping the two men, who were reportedly father and son.
"At first glance, it appears that an attempt was being made to install a new lintel; it collapsed, causing the floor below to cave in as well, trapping two people-reportedly a father and his son," he added.
A local resident offered a similar account, saying the collapse appeared to have occurred while a concrete slab was being laid for the additional floor. According to the resident, the existing lower slab was weak and gave way under the construction work, bringing down the newly laid slab above it.
"A concrete slab was being cast for the building. The existing lower slab was weak, and a new one was being laid on top of it. As a result, the lower slab gave way, causing the entire new slab above it to collapse," the resident said.
The exact circumstances leading to the collapse are to be examined by the authorities.
Latest incident follows Satya Niketan building tragedy
The collapse comes after a building tragedy in Delhi's Satya Niketan area, near Delhi University's South Campus, claimed seven lives. The structure was being used as a boys' paying guest accommodation and had a basement and five upper floors.
Repair work was reportedly underway in the basement when the building gave way, killing seven people.
The latest incident in northeast Delhi has once again raised concerns about building safety and construction work in existing structures.