A residential building has collapsed in the Indian capital New Delhi, and it is feared that dozens of students are trapped under its rubble.
Eyewitnesses told local media that there were possibly 50 people inside the five-storey building in the Satyaniketan area of southwest Delhi when it collapsed at around 1:30 pm local time on Sunday.
NDTV reported citing local police that at least one person has died in the incident, while the condition of the other two is critical. Six people have been rescued from the rubble so far.
The building, named ‘Hostel Days’, was located some distance from the Delhi University campus. According to reports, construction work was underway in the basement of the building.
Many students residing in the hostel are believed to have been in their rooms when the building collapsed, as there were no classes on Sundays.
An MLA present at the scene said that some students buried under the rubble were making phone calls from there.
Eyewitnesses also told local media that another building adjacent to the hostel had also collapsed.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the adjoining building had been evacuated as a ‘precautionary measure’.
She added that ‘every effort is being made to safely evacuate those trapped under the rubble.
According to Delhi Police, the building was only 40 or 50 years old.
A nearby shop owner told news agency ANI that the building was on a 100-year lease and the leaseholder had got the basement excavated to increase his income.
He said, “The upper building was strengthened, but the lower pillars were weak.” According to him, the construction workers were also buried under the rubble.
The National Students Union of India has demanded that the government investigate the reasons for the collapse of the building and take action against those responsible.
The organization says, “Negligence regarding the safety of students and the general public will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
According to the Times of India, the police are searching for the owner of the building.
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