Chawri Bazar collapse: Kin of untraced workers face anxious wait

Kishori and Sanjeet were confirmed dead, while relatives of Vipin Ram and Pankaj Sharma spent Thursday searching hospitals and waiting for updates.

The two men – Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45 – confirmed dead by Thursday evening in the Chawri Bazar building collapse were identified as labourers working at the under-construction three-storey structure. Their families lived in east Delhi’s Mandawali.

Vipin's brother Sudhir Kumar said he had not informed the family in Bihar about the collapse. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Meanwhile, families of two other labourers deployed at the same construction site – Vipin Ram, 42, and Pankaj Sharma, 40 – spent the day searching for them, with no clear leads until late Thursday evening. They kept their eyes fixed on the narrow lane leading to the collapse site, hoping rescue teams working inside would emerge with information about their loved ones.

Vipin's brother rushes to collapse site after contractor's call

Sudhir Kumar, Vipin’s brother, said he received a call from the contractor around 12.30pm informing him that the building where his brother was working had collapsed and that he was trapped under the debris.

“I was taking a bath while my phone was constantly ringing. Around 12.30, the contractor informed me about the incident. I tried calling my brother, but his phone was switched off. Despite repeated attempts, I wasn’t able to locate him. So, I came straight to the site,” said Kumar, who is originally from Bihar’s Khagaria district and works in Haryana’s Panipat.

“Vipin has four daughters and two sons, but I haven’t informed anyone at home because I don’t know what to tell them,” he added.

Family waits for updates as rescue teams search through debris

With folded hands and tears in his eyes, Kumar continued doing all he could to help the civil defence team to locate his brother. “They asked me for his number and photo to track his location. It’s been two hours since then, but they haven’t shared anything. I went to the hospital also, but he isn’t there,” he said.

In the same lane, around 500 metres from the collapse site, Virendra Kumar waited for information about his brother, Pankaj Sharma. He said Sharma had been working in Delhi for nearly 15 years, earning between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 a month.

“He has been working at this site for the past four to five months. The contractor is also from our village, so we have known him and worked with him for more than a decade. The police showed us that his name is not there in the list, and the rescue team also has no idea about him,” Virendra said.

Family had planned to celebrate Diwali and Chhath Puja together

“We had planned to celebrate Diwali here and return home during Chhath Puja,” he added.

Virendra told HT that Sharma’s wife and children live in Patna, Bihar, while he stayed in Delhi with his brother and others from their village. The family had been planning to return home for the festival, but on Thursday, they waited anxiously for news from the rescue teams.