In a heart wrenching incident, a five storey building functioning as a student Paying Guest (PG) accommodation collapsed in South Delhi Satya Niketan area. The sudden collapse occurred on Sunday, leaving at least seven people dead, including five young college students, and several others injured. The tragic event took place near Delhi University, South Campus, a popular and crowded residential hub for outstation students. According to local authorities and eye witnesses, the old structure suddenly came crashing down like a pack of cards, trapping workers and residents under heavy concrete debris.
Immediately after the incident, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Service, and Delhi Police rushed to the spot to launch an intensive, day long search and rescue operation. Rescuers managed to pull out 12 people from the rubble, but seven victims unfortunately succumbed to their severe injuries. Preliminary investigations suggest that the nearly 30 year old illegal building was undergoing structural modifications in the basement without required safety approvals. Continuous heavy rainfall over recent days is also suspected to have weakened the foundation of the load bearing structure.
Following public outrage, the Delhi High Court took serious notice of the incident, questioning local safety standards for PG hostels. Meanwhile, police have arrested the building owner along with family members, and civic authorities have ordered the immediate sealing of all unauthorized multi storey constructions across the area.
