On Wednesday afternoon, a building collapse in New Seemapuri led to the deaths of five individuals
Delhi Fire Service received the call around 3.30pm and rushed fire tenders and rescue teams to the site.
Residents said the timing may have prevented a larger tragedy. The building’s collapse also highlighted concerns about structures in the immediate vicinity. The building fell towards an adjoining idgah where children frequently play. The collapse also damaged two adjoining buildings, brought down portions of one of their walls and damaged the boundary wall of the idgah. Delhi Police, MCD and Delhi Disaster Management Authority teams joined the operation, while an NDRF team reached later. Four JCB machines, ambulances and sniffer dogs were deployed as rescuers searched the debris.
An adjoining three-storey building had tilted earlier, following which its owner informed police.
The ground floor housed the family’s scrap business, according to a relative. The first and second floors were occupied by the owners, their two married sons and their families, while the third floor was rented out. Several family members were away when the building collapsed.
The collapse on the busy market road near Idgah Machhli Mandi shattered families living inside and sent the densely populated neighbourhood into panic. Eight people injured in Wednesday’s collapse were rescued and shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment. The death toll has risen to five after two bodies were recovered earlier in the day on Thursday.