Delhi: 3 kids hurt in wall collapse in Mandawali

Three children were injured when a wall of an abandoned house collapsed in east Delhi during heavy rains. They are stable after rescue efforts.

Three children were injured after a wall of an abandoned house collapsed on them in east Delhi’s Mandawali area on Friday afternoon following heavy rains.

A still from a video shows the collapse site. (HT Photo)

Police said the children — Pankaj (8), Dhruv (10) and Aadi (8) — were returning home from school and crossing the house when a wall suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris. “It was an old, dilapidated house and the wall fell because of the rain. Nobody lives there. The children were passing beside the wall when it collapsed on them,” said deputy commissioner of police (east) Abhishek Dhania.

The Delhi Fire Services said they received a call about the incident around 1pm. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot. “With the help of locals, we removed the rubble. We could hear the children screaming and pulled them out within half an hour. They had sustained a few injuries,” a fire official said.

All three children were taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, where they are reported to be stable with injuries to their heads and hands. Police said they are undergoing primary treatment.

A woman who witnessed the collapse alerted police immediately, enabling a quick rescue response. Officials have launched an inquiry into the incident and said the house, found locked, had not been visited by its owner in years. “An enquiry has been initiated against the house owner,” said DCP Dhania.