East Delhi collapse: 1 more dies; police register FIR

A case on charges of causing death by negligence was registered in the matter, however, the owner of the building was among the deceased

A day after six members of a family were killed when their four-storey house collapsed in Welcome, Shahdara in east Delhi, police said a 14-month-old boy who was injured in the incident succumbed on Sunday.

The collapse site in Janta Colony, Welcome in east Delhi on Saturday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Police said that the bodies of the deceased were returned to their family after autopsies. Police said that they will question the neighbours to ascertain if any collapse incident was reported earlier.

A case on charges of causing death by negligence was registered in the matter, however, the owner of the building was among the deceased, police said.

“As far as police investigation is concerned, we’ll question the neighbours to find out if the building was dangerous or if any incident with respect to this building was reported earlier,” a senior police officer said, adding that because the building was inaugurated in an unauthorised colony, the municipal corporation or other civic agencies would not have any documents pertaining to its safety.

The injured people, police said, were still under treatment. A 14-month-old boy in critical condition died, they added.

On Saturday, six members of a family were killed and eight injured—four from the same family as the deceased—after an unauthorised four-storey residential building collapsed in an approximately five-foot-wide lane in Janta Colony of Welcome on Saturday morning, police said.

At least five adjoining multi-storey buildings in a nearly 10-metre radius were either partially damaged or developed cracks due to the impact of the collapse and the search and rescue operations were hampered because the incident happened in an area where buildings stood close together, they added. Locals said the residential building was 40 years old and underwent a revamp five years ago.

The building was owned by 50-year-old Abdul Matloob Khan, one of the deceased. There was a vacant hall on the ground floor of the building and the three floors above it were occupied by Khan and his family. The five other deceased people were identified as Khan’s wife Rabia, 46, their three children, Javed Khan, 23, Abdullah Khan,15, and Zubia (first name known), 27, and Zubia’s daughter, Fozia, two.

Four people injured from the same family include Khan’s other sons, Parvez Khan, 32, and Naved Khan, 19, Parvez’s wife Siza, 21, and their 14-month-old son Ahmad.

Khan and his 10 family members had arrived in Janta Colony just six months ago after a fire had brok out at their old house in Gautampuri three kilometres away.