2 girls among 5 killed in Delhi building collapse, property owner booked

New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Five people, including two girls, were killed in the four-storey building collapse in north Delhi’s Burari area, police said on Tuesday and added that the property owner had been booked.

“An FIR has been registered under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against building owner Yogendra Bhati and others,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said in a statement.

The newly-constructed building near Oscar Public School collapsed late on Monday. So far, 12 people have been rescued and five bodies retrieved from the debris, they said.

The victims have been identified as Saadhna (17) and seven-year-old Radhika. The other three are Anil Gupta (42) and labourers Md Sarfaraz (22) and Md Qadir (40).

The police said the injured were identified as Lalta Prasad, his wife Savita and their six children — Ajay, Choti, Khushi, Priyanka, Sonia and Simran.

Their other two children Saadhna and Radhika died, the police said.

The identities of the other injured are yet to be ascertained.

Banthia said a rescue operation was still underway.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Delhi Police had said it received information about the collapse around 7 pm.

The building was a new construction spread over 200 square yards.

Soon after the incident was reported to the Delhi Police and the Delhi Fire Services, a rescue operation was launched.

“The rescue operation is still underway. Personnel from agencies such as police, fire services and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on the spot. The police have cordoned off the area and are collecting more details from locals to ascertain how many people could still be trapped,” Banthia said.

“We launched an investigation into the matter and multiple teams have been formed,” he added.

The officer further said the police would be able to comment on the situation only after the rescue operation concluded.

“During incidents of this nature, the administration appoints an incident commander who issues directions to officials. The area’s subdivisional magistrate is currently acting as incident commander and has ordered the evacuation of nearby buildings for structural safety and fitness checks. The entire area has been cordoned off and no one is allowed to cross the restricted zone,” the senior officer said.

He mentioned that the rescue operation might continue till early on Wednesday to ensure the area was thoroughly checked and those still trapped under the rubble rescued.

“Those who were rescued suspect that more people are still trapped inside. The police, Delhi Fire Services, NDRF and other agencies are working round-the-clock to complete the rescue operation as quickly as possible,” Banthia said.

He also said those rescued were being referred to higher medical facilities based on the severity of their health conditions.

“Initially, we shifted some patients to Burari Hospital but they were referred to LNJP Hospital,” he added.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha told PTI Videos that this was not the time for political disputes and demanded adequate compensation for the families affected.

He announced compensations of Rs 10 lakh for each adult victim and Rs 5 lakh for the families of minor victims.

“We hope that the central government also announces compensation for the families at the earliest,” Jha said.

At the spot, many were seen anxiously waiting for news about their family members working in the collapsed building as labourers.

Md Bariq said his 22-year-old brother Md Sarfaraz was working inside. His body was later discovered by the police.

“I work as a labourer at another site. I received a call about the building collapse around 8:30 pm on Monday. The caller informed me that my brother was trapped in the rubble. Later, I got news of his death,” Bariq said.

Md Arif said they were hoping for their relatives’ safety. He later received news that his relative Md Qadir had died.

The victims’ family members demanded strict action against the building owner as well as compensation.

Some locals who were nearby when the incident occurred described the entire episode as “horrible”.

“We heard a very loud noise and a bubble of dust emanated from the area. It took more than five minutes to realise what had happened. We rushed to the site, informed the police and fire officials,” a witness said.

Shortly after the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said on X that all possible help would be provided to the people affected.

“The incident of building collapse in Burari is extremely sad. I have spoken to the local administration to ensure speedy relief and rescue operations. All possible help will be provided to the affected people,” she said in Hindi.