Seemapuri building collapse death toll rises to 5 as two more bodies recovered

The death toll in the Seemapuri building collapse in east Delhi rose to five on Thursday after rescuers recovered two more bodies from the debris, an official said.

The deceased were identified as Nusrat, also known as Guria, and Hajra Bibi, the official said.

Those whose bodies were recovered earlier included a 12-year-old girl, 21-year-old Gulafsa, who was around four months pregnant, and a child aged about one-and-a-half years.

Eight people injured in the collapse were rescued and taken to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment.

Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board are continuing rescue and debris-clearing operations at the site.

The four-storey building near Idgah Machhli Mandi in Seemapuri collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said the building had developed cracks following tremors triggered by an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening. However, the exact cause of the collapse is yet to be established.  (with inputs from PTI)