Two people died while another was injured when an ancient building that was in a state of acute disrepair, collapsed in North Delhi's Bara Hindu Rao area on Wednesday morning.
The structure, which had four floors, was 100 years old and the owner had added the top two floors just 11 months ago. Preliminary investigation revealed that the foundation of the old building had become weak as a basement had been dug out for an under-construction house right next to it. Family members of the victims alleged that they had informed civic agencies about this in May, but no action was taken. Police have registered a case of death due to negligence against unknown persons and have started investigations into the mishap.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Praveen Gupta has ordered an enquiry by the Additional Commissioner in-charge and Chief Engineer of the Zone to find out the reason behind the collapse and sought a report within three days.
A senior police officer said that the two deceased were identified as 66-year-old Mohammad Naqi and his son Mohammad Nafees alias Bunty (35), while the injured person has been identified as Salman, brother of the deceased.
According to the police, Salman escaped with minor injuries. "The incident took place in the congested Gali Qaramatullah, Mohalla Shaikhan, of Bara Hindu Rao area, at around 7.45 am on Wednesday. After receiving the PCR call, police immediately rushed to the spot," the officer said. Mohamed Zubair, a resident of the area, witnessed the whole incident.
He said: "We felt a tremor and suddenly the building collapsed at around 7 in the morning. It was like a blast and the whole area was engulfed in dust and smoke.""The building was around 100-years-old and they had added two more floors to it around 11 months ago," Mohamed Zubair pointed out.
Residents of the area rushed to the rescue of the people trapped under the debris even before the police reached the spot.Even though the rescue operation continued till late evening, no more bodies or injured people were found.
"Fortunately, at the time of the incident, the wives of Bunty and Salman had gone out of the house and only the three men were present in the building when it collapsed," said an eyewitness, adding that Naqi had a jewellery shop in Sadar Bazaar.
The three men were trapped under the debris for over two hours as the fire tenders and JCBs could not reach the spot on time due to space constraints and low hanging electric wires all around the area.
Initially, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had to work with hand pulled carts to clear the debris, but later personnel of the Bara Hindu Rao Police Station and the Delhi Fire Service and the DDMA were pressed into service.
"The lanes in the area are very narrow hence we could not take the JCBs inside. The rubble was removed with the help of locals and the disaster management team, using life detectors," a fire department official added.
While Salman and Bunty were rescued and taken to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Naqi died before he could be extricated. Bunty later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, while Salman, who received minor injuries, is undergoing treatment.
Mishaps galore
August 04, 2013
A dilapidated multi storey building came crashing down in the congested Chandni Chowk area in New Delhi in the early hours. However no causality was reported
September 27, 2011
The three storied building collapsed killing seven people and injuring 22 in the Katra Data Ram ki Haveli in Chandni Mahal area near the Jama Masjid
August 25, 2010
A six-year-old boy was killed and his elder sister and mother critically injured when a century-old three-storey building collapsed in Hauz Qazi area
November 16, 2008
A dilapidated building under repairs in old Delhi caved in killing a woman and injuring two others. The building in Mem Gali of Chandni Chowk is situated in the walled city area.
July 15, 2007
Two women and a child were killed and seven others injured when a three-storied building collapsed in Chandni Chowk area of the walled city. The building was located in the congested Baradari, Ballimaran area of Chandni Chowk.