It felt like an earthquake: Eyewitnesses at building collapse site in Delhi's Satya Niketan

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) A "sudden tremor" sent residents of nearby buildings rushing out of their homes only to see the horror of a pile of rubble in place of the PG accommodation bustling with students in south-west Delhi's Satya Niketan on Sunday.

Many scrambled to remove the debris with bare hands and whatever tools they could get after the collapse of the five-storey building, Hostel Daze, in the congested colony lined with private student hostels, eateries and shops near the heart of Delhi University's South Campus.

A local Rajen Chhetri, who works with the Delhi Police, said the building had around 15 rooms, with two to three students sharing each, and repair or construction work was underway in the basement.

"Most of the students staying here are from Keralam, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and study mainly at Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College and Sri Venkateswara College. They were paying around Rs 12,000 per bed,” Chhetri said.

“I have been living here for the last 20 years. Some construction work was going on in the basement, where water had started accumulating. The foundation was also extremely weak,” he said.

Police said a PCR call was received at South Campus police station at 1.34 pm, following which eight fire tenders and multiple rescue teams were rushed to the spot.

"We felt a slight tremor in our house. It felt like the ground shook, like an earthquake. We ran outside," a resident told PTI. With no immediate arrangements, residents began lifting heavy concrete slabs and clearing debris themselves in search of those trapped, he claimed.

The adjacent building also appeared to be at risk and was slightly leaning, the resident claimed, adding that around 50 to 60 students could still be inside the collapsed structure.

Around 35 to 40 students were staying on the upper floors and some of them were sleeping when the building collapsed, another resident told PTI. Work was being carried out in the basement, he claimed, adding that he managed to step out only minutes before the collapse and sustained injuries.

"As soon as I came out, the whole thing collapsed," he said.

Another resident said his nephew had narrowly escaped after crossing the building on his bike moments before it collapsed. The structure came down with a loud crash immediately after he passed, he claimed, quoting his nephew as saying, "It was a matter of seconds."

Most of the students staying in the PG were from Keralam, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, another resident claimed, adding that many of those trapped were believed to be from Kerala.

Since it was Sunday, many students had not gone to college and were inside the PG, he said.

Priyanka, who said she had lived in the area for the past 20-22 years, told PTI that buildings in the locality were being constructed up to five or six floors. "Many houses have been converted into boys' PGs, with the owners shifting elsewhere.

"They simply name the properties as PGs, take the rent online and leave them to operate," she said.

"The PG that collapsed is over 20 years old, and in all these years, I have not seen any maintenance work being carried out. The whole of Satya Niketan is full of PGs, and hardly 30 per cent of the house owners actually live here," she said.

"Even the gutters and sewers here are open. There were many students trapped inside the building. Since it was raining, most of them were in their rooms, while some had gone home as it was the weekend," Priyanka said.

Another resident said the buildings in the area were very old and called for structural verification of all such properties.

Five-storey buildings with basements had been constructed in the residential locality, he claimed, questioning whether such structures should have been permitted.