1 hr ago
Students, Locals Join Rescue After South Delhi PG Collapse
A five-storey building where students lived suddenly fell down in south Delhi.
The collapse happened around lunchtime in a crowded neighborhood.
Students and nearby residents ran to help before official rescue teams arrived.
They passed small pieces of rubble from person to person to make a path into the wreckage.
Machines later moved the heavier pieces.
Five people were confirmed dead, and eight people were rescued and taken to a hospital.
Officials said construction work was happening in the basement, but the exact reason for the collapse was not established.
The incident also raised concerns about the safety of privately run student housing.
A five-storey boys’ paying guest building collapsed around 1:30 pm in Satya Niketan, south Delhi.
Students and residents formed a human chain and removed debris by hand before rescue agencies arrived.
Five people were confirmed dead, while eight were pulled from the rubble and taken to hospital.
Police said construction work was underway in the basement; allegations about water accumulation and wall removal were not independently verified.
Two National Disaster Response Force teams, a canine squad and heavy machinery were later deployed as concerns about building safety and rescue coordination grew.
- Who
- Residents and students living near the building, along with police, rescue agencies and National Disaster Response Force personnel.
- What
- A five-storey boys’ paying guest building collapsed, prompting a large rescue operation.
- Where
- Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus in south Delhi.
- When
- Around 1:30 pm on Sunday, September 6.
- Why
- The cause was not established; police said basement construction work was underway, while locals made unverified claims about accumulated water and a wall being removed.
Students and Local Residents
Authorities and Official Accounts
Initial rescue response
Students and Local Residents
Students and residents said they had to begin clearing rubble themselves because official rescue work was slow, and they alleged that the National Disaster Response Force arrived late and agencies initially lacked coordination.
Authorities and Official Accounts
Authorities eventually took over most of the operation, deploying National Disaster Response Force teams, a canine squad, oxygen cylinders and heavy machinery.
Building safety
Students and Local Residents
Students alleged that the building was visibly old and tilted, received mostly cosmetic repainting, and was rarely inspected for structural or fire-safety compliance.
Authorities and Official Accounts
Police confirmed that the building was nearly 50 years old but did not establish that inadequate inspections or cosmetic repainting caused the collapse.
Possible cause
Students and Local Residents
Locals alleged that rainwater had accumulated in the basement and that a wall was being removed during construction work.
Authorities and Official Accounts
Police said construction work was underway in the basement, while the additional allegations could not be independently verified.
Key facts
- Location
- Satya Niketan, near Delhi University’s South Campus, south Delhi
- Building
- Nearly 50 years old, with about 15 rooms housing two to three students per room
- Collapse time
- Around 1:30 pm on Sunday, September 6
- Confirmed deaths
- Five
- People rescued
- Eight people were pulled from the rubble and taken to hospital
- NDRF deployment
- Two teams comprising 70 personnel, with a canine squad
- Evacuation
- An adjacent girls’ PG was evacuated as a precaution
Quotes
Abhishek Mishra
First-year Delhi University Law Faculty student who witnessed and participated in the rescue effort
“When the authorities came, they were scolding us for being near the site. But we were there because the rescue work was moving slowly and we were trying to help. If people are trapped and the work is slow, students will naturally try to do whatever they can”
theprint.in
“We formed a human chain because there was so much rubble and it had to be cleared quickly”
theprint.in
Sources
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