Woman killed in building collapse

Structure was more than 100 yrs old

A 45-year-old woman was killed and her daughter injured when a four-storey residential building collapsed in north Delhi’s Azad Market on Friday evening.

The incident occurred at 4 pm in Gali Milwali when Vimla and her daughter Komal, 20, were in their flat on the third floor of the building. Both were pulled out the debris in critical condition and rushed to a nearby hospital where Vimla was declared brought dead.

Komal is undergoing treatment, and her condition is critical, police said. Fire and police personnel continued to clear the debris and said chances of anyone still under the debris were rare.

Neighbours living in an adjacent building said the building was very old and had never been renovated or painted.

Locals residents said that most of the residents of the building were saved because majority had gone to their hometowns for celebrating Chhath at the time of the building collapse.

The residente said that the ground floor was a godown and nobody lived on the first floor. A family living on the second floor had gone to Bihar for celebrating Chhath. The victims were on the third floor.

A rickshaw puller, who lives on the fourth floor along with his son, was not present in the house at the time of the building collapse.

“Vimla and Komal were alone in their flat. Vimla’s son Paras, who works at income tax office, was at work. Vimla’s husband had died few years ago due to illness,” said a local resident Rakesh on phone.

Police said that the building collapsed because it was more than 100 years old. Locals residents woke up to the tragedy after they head a loud sound around 4 pm.

A case of negligence has been registered at Sadar Bajar police station and investigation has started.