New Delhi: Several people are feared trapped after a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area on Wednesday, an official said.
While eight people have been rescued so far, locals and family members claimed that five people are still missing, as reported by NDTV.
The incident comes a month after a building, used as a PG accomodation for Delhi University students, collapsed in the Satya Niketan area. That tragedy led to the deaths of seven persons, including five students.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received a call regarding Wednesday’s collapse at 3.30 pm and rushed fire engines to the spot.
“Search and rescue operation is ongoing,” an official said.
Visuals from the site showed scores of people standing amidst the rubble, with some tossing around the slabs of rock using their bare hands in an effort to clear a passage for those trapped inside.
Others are seen recording the devastation on their mobiles.
The Delhi Traffic Police has urged people to avoid the area as it will allow ambulance and rescue vehicles a faster way through.
“A multi-storey building has collapsed in Seemapuri and rescue teams are working at the site. Traffic is affected around Seemapuri Gol Chakkar, DLF Bhopura and adjoining roads. Every clear lane gives an ambulance and rescue vehicle a faster way through. Please avoid the area if possible. Do not stop, park or gather near the site, and follow the directions of traffic personnel,” the traffic police posted on X.
Four to five people had been rescued by residents and taken to hospitals, while rescue efforts were continuing, a local said.
“Police came after half an hour. There is a child still trapped and some have been rescued by people and sent to hospitals. I have given CPR myself. Two to three people have been sent to hospital,” the local said.
The building had developed cracks following the tremors felt in Delhi-NCR due to an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday night, locals claimed.
Officials, however, said the actual cause of the collapse will be determined after an investigation.