Two children, pregnant woman killed, eight injured as four-storey building collapses in Delhi's Seemapuri

At least three people, including two children, were killed and 11 others rescued after the front portion of a four-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi's Seemapuri area on Wednesday (October 7), officials said. Two adjoining houses were also partially damaged, police said.

The deceased have been identified as a 12-year-old girl whose identity is yet to be ascertained, Gulafsa (21), who was around four months pregnant, and another child whose identity and other details are yet to be ascertained.

Eight injured people were rescued from the debris and shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment. The eight injured persons undergoing treatment are Momin Mirja (56) Abdaan (3), Abdul Rehman (28), Devruddin (28), Salma (50), Chote (34), Sakina (35), and Samad (30).

A total of 11 people have been rescued from the debris so far. Rescue and relief operations are continuing at the spot, while further details are being ascertained.

Authorities suspect that cracks that appeared in the building following tremors caused by an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening may have led to the incident. Locals said they could hear the voices of those trapped under the debris.

The actual cause of the collapse is yet



to be ascertained. According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), neighbours have claimed that cracks appeared in the structure following the earthquake and the building owner was in the process of vacating it.

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) received a call regarding the collapse at around 3:30 pm and rushed fire tenders to the spot. Teams from the Delhi Police, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the MCD and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) launched search-and-rescue operations.

According to police, the building was constructed on a plot measuring approximately 225 square feet.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), however, said the collapsed structure was spread over around 22 square yards in the DUSIB area near Idgah Machhli Mandi.

Visuals from the spot showed local residents joining the rescue efforts and clearing debris with their bare hands. They were seen removing bricks and rubble from the collapsed structure and helping those trapped underneath.

In one video, a group of people could be seen pulling a woman out from under the debris and carrying her away in their arms. Several people were also seen crying and appearing distressed near the site.