4-storey building collapses in Delhi's Subzi Mandi; 22 rescued

New Delhi: A four-storey building collapsed in north Delhi’s Subzi Mandi area in the early hours of Tuesday, bringing down portions of two adjoining buildings and trapping several people under the debris. A multi-agency rescue team safely rescued all 22 people, officials said.

The building was in a congested lane in Punjabi Basti and had been unoccupied after the municipal corporation declared it unsafe.

However, locals complained of inaction against the owner of the 4-storey building, pointing to the damage caused to other structures, danger to the lives of their residents and losses in lakhs.

A PCR call about the building collapse near Buta Singh Gurudwara was received around 3 am and a police team immediately rushed to the spot along with other staff, they said.

"When we reached, it was found that a four-storey house in Punjabi Basti had collapsed, trapping around 20 to 22 people in adjoining buildings and nearby structures,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.

Two fire tenders, a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, six PCR vans, four ambulances and staff from the sub-divisional magistrate’s office reached the spot to assist in the rescue operation.

“All the trapped residents were evacuated safely. Some sustained minor injuries and were admitted to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital for treatment before being discharged,” he said.

Part of the wall of two adjoining buildings came crashing down, trapping several people under it. Several motorcycles and a car parked in a narrow lane along the damaged buildings were damaged, the DCP added.

Police said the collapsed structure had been vacant for some time. Its dilapidated condition had earlier been flagged to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) by the local police.

According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), a call regarding the incident was received at 3.05 am, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

"Since the building had already been declared dangerous by the MCD, it was vacant," he said.

A local, Hardeep Singh, told PTI that the building owners had long ignored warnings. “The owners were locked in a dispute among themselves. We kept telling them to repair the structure to prevent a mishap, but nothing was done despite repeated assurances.

"Because of the collapse, goods worth around Rs 50 lakh have been destroyed. Had this happened during the day, at least 50 to 60 people could have lost their lives,” he said.

Another resident, Sonu Pandit, said, “This structure has been damaged since 2020. The godown owner on the ground floor had asked the other owners to repair it, but no steps were taken. We have suffered a lot. By god’s grace this happened at night and not during the day,” he said.

Vishal, who lives on the third floor of an adjacent building the owners were repeatedly told to renovate the building.

"It did not even have proper pillars to support it. Had they acted, our building would not have been damaged either. There was no action from the authorities against the owners. We want justice,” he said.

Another resident said he has to go to work but can’t leave because of the incident.

"Our electricity has been cut and many vehicles have been damaged. Luckily, it happened at night or else there would have been casualties too,” he said.

Prabhjot, who lives on the ground floor of an adjoining building, said his grandmother suffered minor injuries when the building collapsed. “We had warned authorities two months ago that this building was about to collapse but no action was taken. I could feel the structure shaking and raised an alarm to alert everyone,” he recalled.

“We even filed a case but were threatened instead. Our old parents got trapped. The building had no pillars and no maintenance since it was built. Because of the collapse, our own building has been damaged and the entrance is blocked,” said Anju, another local.