Source The Hindu
NEW DELHI — A quiet morning turned into a nightmare in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area when an old four-storey building suddenly collapsed, killing three people and leaving eight others injured.
The incident took place during the early hours while most residents were fast asleep. Neighbours reported hearing a loud, thunderous sound followed by a massive cloud of dust that covered the narrow lane. Within seconds, the entire structure came crashing down, trapping people under heavy concrete slabs and broken brick walls.
Local residents were the first to rush to the spot, shouting for help and digging through the dust and rubble with their bare hands to pull out survivors. Police, the Delhi Fire Service, and disaster response teams arrived shortly after to launch a full-scale rescue operation.
Narrow, winding lanes made it extremely difficult for large fire engines and heavy earthmovers to reach the exact site. Rescuers had to carry heavy tools and gas cutters on foot across the crowded neighbourhood. Specialized teams worked carefully for hours through the tight spaces, listening for faint cries beneath the ruins and cutting through twisted iron rods.
Eight injured people were pulled out alive and immediately rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment. Doctors confirmed that while several survivors suffered serious bone fractures and head injuries, their conditions are currently stable. Tragically, three people could not be saved and were declared dead on arrival at the trauma centre.
Eyewitnesses said the structure had been in a visibly poor state for months, with deep cracks running along the outer walls. Officials suspect that the building was not only poorly maintained but may have also undergone illegal alterations over the years that weakened its foundation.
Civic authorities have cordoned off the disaster site, evacuated nearby houses as a precaution, and launched a formal inquiry to pinpoint who owned the property and whether safety warnings were ignored. For the families living in Seemapuri, the disaster has brought deep sorrow alongside urgent demands for the city to inspect hazardous structures before another home collapses.
