The death toll in the collapse of a paying guest accommodation in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan rose to six on Monday after another person rescued during overnight operations died, officials said.
Southwest Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Surender Chaudhary said six people had died and 11 had been rescued so far. Search and rescue operations continued as teams sifted through the debris for people who could still be trapped.
Authorities had initially estimated that 30 to 50 students could be buried under the rubble. Some reportedly managed to make phone calls for help, prompting rescuers to intensify the operation.
The nearly 50-year-old building collapsed at around 1.30 pm on Sunday while repair and renovation work was allegedly being carried out on the ground floor. Police said the building was being used as a boys’ PG.
Locals claimed that water had accumulated in the basement following several days of rain and may have weakened the foundation. Authorities were examining the claim as part of the investigation.
Police registered an FIR against building owner Hariram and others under charges including culpable homicide, negligence in maintaining a structure and endangering public safety.
A senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi official said the building stood on a 55-square-yard plot in a resettlement colony. The official said the structure had reportedly been expanded to a ground-plus-four-storey building, although the original permission was only for a ground-plus-one structure.
The AIIMS Trauma Centre said 10 injured people were taken there for treatment. Two National Disaster Response Force teams comprising around 70 personnel, along with a canine squad, were deployed at the site.
Rescuers also lowered oxygen cylinders into the debris to provide support to anyone who might have remained trapped.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, MCD, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services and Civil Defence personnel took part in the operation. Local residents also assisted officials in clearing the rubble.
The collapse raised questions over the building’s structural safety, the legality of its additional floors and the circumstances under which renovation work was being carried out. The investigation and rescue operation continued.
