Two men trapped under the debris of an under-construction building in northeast Delhi's Harsh Vihar were pulled out dead after an overnight rescue operation, police said, according to Hindustan Times.
The victims, a 60-year-old man and his 33-year-old son, lived in Harsh Vihar and had taken the contract for the construction, police said. They were taken to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.
How the collapse happened
The building in Milan Garden on Sewa Dham Road came down at about 6.46 pm on Sunday. Initial inspection suggested the ground floor was an old structure, reportedly used as a godown, with a first floor newly built on top. Both portions collapsed.
The Delhi Fire Service first sent six fire tenders. Police, firefighters, Civil Defence volunteers and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team worked through the night with two ambulances and a crane to clear the rubble.
Action against the owner
Police said the property owner had been traced and legal action was being started. They are investigating whether any violations led to the collapse.
Why it matters: a run of deadly collapses
This is the latest in a series of building collapses in Delhi that have raised concerns about structural safety, unauthorised construction and how building rules are enforced. Hindustan Times listed three earlier ones:
- October 7: at least four people were killed in New Seemapuri. Demolition work with vibrating machinery next door was suspected of triggering it.
- September 6: a multi-storey boys' hostel collapsed, killing seven people, including five Delhi University students. Unauthorised construction was suspected.
- May 30: six people were killed when a building came down in south Delhi's Saidulajab, also with unauthorised construction suspected.