Mustafabad building collapse: ‘I’m in shock. How did this happen?’

The removal of a load-bearing wall during recent renovation work likely caused the fatal collapse of a four-storey building, MCD officials said on Saturday.

A family almost wiped out, a sole breadwinner lost and three children left without a mother: HTreport the tragedy that scarred many

1st floor: Owner, 7 of his family dead

The approximately 20-year-old structure in gali number 3 crumbled early on Saturday morning. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

When the rescue operations began on Saturday morning, Mohammed Chand was the first to come out of the ill-fated building, unaware of his loss. As operations continued, he found out that only four of his family members were as fortunate as him.

Eight of his family members died in the tragedy.

The deceased included building owner Mohammed Tehsin, 60, who lived with his family of 12 on the first floor of the four-storey building in Gali No. 3 in Shakti Vihar of Mustafabad. A property dealer, Tehsin had four shops on the ground floor, of which he had occupied two to set up his office. He had rented out one of the shops where a tenant ran a meat shop.

On the three-room first floor, Tehsin lived with his wife Zeenat, 58 and nine other family members. These included their son Mohammed Nazeem, 30, his wife Shaina, 28, their three children Afreen, 4, Afhan, 2, and Anas, 6. The old couple’s younger son Chand, 25, his wife Chandni, 23, their kids, Shaan, 4, and Shanaya, 2, also lived on the same floor. Zeenat’s father Mohammed Ishaq, 75, was staying with the family for the last few days.

Chand is now the only surviving son of Zeenat — Her eldest son Aas Mohammed was allegedly murdered during the February 2020 riots and his body was found in a drain a week later. “I lost my brother in riots and now I have lost my whole family... my wife too,” Chand said, still unable to grasp reality.

Chand, an e-rickshaw driver, said his father was a property dealer and the family has lived at the house for decades. He said all of his siblings were born and raised in this house, last reconstructed about 15 years ago, with the second and third floors added three-four years ago. “I don’t know what happened. My father was getting repair and construction work done on the ground floor. We had never expected that the building could fall,” he said.

“I am in shock. How did this happen?” Chand continued to mumble, while waiting at GTB Hospital for ambulances carrying the bodies of his deceased family members.

2nd floor: Two sons of a family killed

On the second floor of the building, a family of five lost their young son and their sole breadwinner.

Mohammed Shahid, 45, lived with his wife Rihana, 38 and their three children — Mohammed Danish, 23, Neha, 19 and Mohammed Naved, 17.

When the building collapsed, Danish and his brother were crushed under the rubble, while their parents survived and are undergoing treatment. Neha was discharged after being treated for minor bruises.

Rihana’s brother Shahzad Ahmed, 48, who lives in Farsh Bazar, said that Danish, a scrap dealer, was the sole breadwinner of the family because his father Shahid is visually impaired.

“Shahid used to run a chemical business and a few years ago, he had an accident with a chemical due to which he lost his vision in one eye. He has blurred vision in the other eye due to which he could not work. Danish was the only earning member and he is gone,” Ahmed said.

Naved was studying in Class 9, he said.

Ahmed said that when the building collapsed, Neha sustained very minor injuries and she saw her parents trapped. “She quickly pulled them out and saved them but she couldn’t pull her elder brother. She called us but we were far. We reached as early as we could,” he said, adding that the family had been living here for many years.

3rd floor: Kids lose mother, father hurt

Three children living on the third floor with their parents witnessed the death of their mother on Saturday.

Navi Ahmed, 45, lived with his wife Reshma, 38, and their three children Alfaiz, 21, Alia, 17, and Tanu, 15.

Ahmed works as a tailor while Reshma was a homemaker.

Reshma was rescued in the early hours by locals, her family said, adding that she was dead when she was pulled out of the debris.

Meanwhile, her husband was undergoing treatment and said to be in a critical condition.

Reshma’s brother Farmood, 45, blamed the owners of the building for construction on the ground floor.

“They had removed the load-bearing wall to extend the existing space. They should have known about the consequences. We lost our sister and our brother-in-law is critical because of their decision,” he alleged.

Reshma was planning to get her elder daughter married and was looking for a suitable match, the inconsolable family said.

‘We got up from bed, and all of it collapsed’

“It felt like an earthquake,” recalled Mohammed Chand, who lost eight family members—including his wife, father, and brother—in the Mustafabad building collapse.

He was asleep when his wife, Chandni, sensed tremors and woke him up. “She told me there was an earthquake. I said, let’s pick up the kids and go out. We had just moved from the bed when the whole building collapsed,” he said. In the chaos, Chand shielded his children—four-year-old Shaan and two-year-old Shanaya—with his arms and screamed for help. “Someone removed the debris and pulled me out. I managed to pull my kids out.” When HT talked to Chand, he was unaware of his wife’s demise.