2 building collapses in Jwala Nagar and Naraina leave 5 injured, 1 missing

The second and third floors of the building collapsed as the Delhi Fire Services were dousing the fire. It is not immediately clear where, when, and how the fire started.

At least five people were injured and one person is suspected to be missing after two separate building collapses in Delhi on Tuesday.

Firefighters douse the fire at a paint warehouse building in Naraina on Tuesday. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

In east Delhi’s Jwala Nagar, the roof of an under-construction house gave way in the morning, injuring two members of the family that owns the building, two labourers and a tenant. The roof had not been cemented properly, a family member said.

Avineesh Kumar, whose family owns the house, said the third floor was recently built ahead of his older brother’s wedding, and a new washroom was under construction. The roof of the washroom was laid on Monday and supported by five bamboo poles. “The roof wasn’t cemented properly. The minute the worker pulled away one of the bamboo poles, the entire roof collapsed,” said the 26-year-old. “My older brother, mother and two labourers were injured after the roof fell on them.”

Avineesh’s brother, Rohit Kumar, who works as a personal assistant to a superintendent of police at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), fractured his leg. Their mother and the two labourers also sustained injuries but are stable. The fifth injured person, 45-year-old Rajesh Kumar, a long-time tenant, suffered minor injuries while helping rescue the injured.

All the injured were taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Delhi Police and the DDMA later sealed the narrow passage leading to the house to speed up debris removal.

“They were under the newly built roof. The minute it fell, I jumped to the corner,” said tenant Rajesh Kumar, who has lived on the second floor for nearly 20 years. “They were all trapped under debris. I called a few neighbours and we removed the bricks to help them come out.”

Shahdara deputy commissioner of police Prashant Gautam said officers received two separate calls on Tuesday about building collapses and people trapped. “Four injured have been shifted to hospital. Two are of the same family while the other two are labourers,” he said, adding that the tenant went to the hospital on his own.

Separately, in west Delhi’s Naraina, a fire broke out in a three-storey paint and thinner godown, Multan Paints and Electrical, early Tuesday, triggering a collapse.

The owner of the shop, Rohan Dass, had reportedly entered the building and is yet to be located, said police.

The second and third floors of the building collapsed as the Delhi Fire Services were dousing the fire. It is not immediately clear where, when, and how the fire started.

“A call was received by the police control room at 2.45am regarding a fire at a godown in the Naraina police station limits. The owner of the shop, Rohan Dass, had reportedly entered the building half an hour before the call was made. He is yet to be traced,” said DCP (west) Darade Sharad Bhaskar.

Police will register a case under Section 287 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and carry out a detailed inspection to probe the cause of fire.