Under-construction building collapses in Delhi, 2 men feared trapped

An under-construction building in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar collapsed on Sunday evening, with two men, aged 60 and 36, feared trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, police and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) rushed to the spot. They launched an operation to clear the debris.The incident comes weeks after a five-storey building housing a student hostel collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on September 6, killing seven people and injuring several others. On October six, another building in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area collapsed, killing three people, including a child.The collapse triggered panic in the locality. The fire department and police received information about the incident around 7 pm and rushed to the spot, following which multiple agencies joined the rescue operation.During the search, the officials learnt that the two people who are feared trapped were working in the building. Their family members panicked and suspected that they were inside as their mobile phones became unreachable. "During local enquiries, we learnt that two people who were working at the building may be trapped under the rubble. One is a 60-year-old man, and the other is 36. Their family members suspect that they are trapped as their mobile phones are not reachable," one DDMA official told news agency PTI.As the rescue operation progressed, no one had been found under the rubble till the time of filing this story. “Our main focus is to clear all the debris and, if someone is trapped, rescue them quickly," the official further added.After the collapse, Delhi Ministers Kapil Mishra and Ashish Sood also reached the site to assess the situation.KAPIL MISHRA LINKS THE COLLAPSE TO ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTIONDelhi Minister Kapil Mishra said an attempt to install a new lintel appeared to have triggered the collapse, causing the floor below to cave in as well. The two men suspected to be trapped are reportedly a father and his son.Mishra said all relevant agencies were mobilised for the rescue operation and that the circumstances surrounding the collapse would be investigated.He also linked such incidents to illegal construction, referring to building collapses in Seemapuri, Seelampur, Mustafabad and Babarpur. He said the sites had been inspected and that the reasons behind those collapses were known.“The reasons behind the collapses in Seemapuri, Seelampur, Mustafabad, and Babarpur are well-known, and the sites have been inspected. We visited those locations as well, and it is clear that such incidents are a direct consequence of illegal construction,” he told ANI.The exact cause of Sunday's incident, however, remains unclear. Rescue teams were continuing to clear the debris and ascertain whether the two men were trapped underneath.- Ends