'Felt like an earthquake': Residents recall horror of building collapse in Delhi's Mustafabad

New Delhi: "It felt like an earthquake. The floor shook beneath us and before we could understand anything, everything was covered in dust," said Shiv Vihar local Ryan who lives next to the building that collapsed in northeast Delhi on Saturday morning.

Around 3 am, a four-storey residential building in Gali No. 1, Mustafabad, came crashing down like a stack of cards, trapping several people under the rubble.

While some have been rescued alive, others were not so fortunate.

So far, around 11 people have been pulled out alive by rescue teams, who continue to work at the site, said an official. Four people have been declared dead while many remain trapped as rescue operations continue.

"We thought maybe something hit our house but when we looked out, the entire building next to us had turned to rubble," Ryan told PTI.

Sehjhad Ahmad lost two nephews, Danish and Naved, who stayed in a third-floor house with their parents -- Ahmad's sister and brother-in-law. "Both my nephews were the breadwinners of the family. They ran the entire household. Now they are gone," he said.

His sister and brother-in-law are in critical condition. "I got a call around 4 am and rushed to the site as soon as I heard," he said.

Sonu Abbas, another resident, said he lost his sister whose family was living on the fourth floor of the building. He told PTI that she was still alive when she was taken out of the rubble.

"She got up, saw that her husband and children were safe, and helped them out of the rubble," he said. Only after that she collapsed and passed away," Abbas said.

Both her children have injuries while her husband remains in critical condition, he added.

Some residents claimed that the ongoing construction work on the ground floor where a new shop was reportedly being built might have triggered the collapse.

They also expressed concern about the structural condition of nearby buildings. There are around four to five buildings in a similarly fragile state," said Salim Ali.

"Wastewater from the sewer has been seeping into the walls of the buildings for years, and over time, the moisture has weakened the structure, causing the walls to absorb water and develop cracks," Ali claimed.

NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi said this was what is referred to as a "pancake collapse". It was a particularly dangerous type where chances of survival are minimal, he said.

"Still, we hope there are lives that can be saved and we are actively searching."

He added that debris is being cleared slowly as this is a highly congested area, making rescue efforts challenging. The use of heavy machinery to clear debris is limited due to space constraints. The NDRF, fire services, Delhi Police and volunteers are still engaged in rescue efforts, he added.