Narrow lanes, closely built houses make rescue risky at Welcome building collapse site

The rescue operation was being carried out by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire brigades, civil defence, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, police and local residents.

Rescue teams faced tough challenges at the site of the collapse on Saturday, as cramped spaces with houses built very close to each other, partial damages sustained by adjoining buildings, and narrow approach lanes prevented the use of heavy machinery to remove rubble.

A view of the site where the building collapsed on Saturday morning. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

On Saturday, earthmovers also could not access the site at Janta Colony in Welcome area, forcing the personnel to initiate the debris removal process manually, brick-by-brick. The debris was then dumped in the nearby Eidgah ground through a human chain, a few handcarts and shovels.

Senior officials said the entire exercise is likely to take a few days.

The rescue operation was being carried out by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire brigades, civil defence, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, police and local residents.

“This is a one-of-its-kind rescue operation and a complicated one for us, as the building collapsed in a cramped neighbourhood. Five-six adjoining houses also suffered damage and they may collapse if machines are used for debris removal. All buildings in the 50-metre radius of the collapse site have been evacuated and the adjoining lanes have also been closed as part of the safety measures,” said Tapan Jha, subdivisional magistrate (SDM), Shahdara, who was supervising the search and rescue operation.

Residents in the adjacent buildings may also not be allowed to move back in as of now, said officials.

NDRF’s deputy commandant, Deepak, also cited the congested neighbourhood and narrow lanes as the primary reasons for the slow pace of the rescue operation.

“We have a sufficient number of personnel who are trained and equipped with rescue gear. But the situation here is different. The nearby buildings are damaged. Large heavy wood planks have been propped up against neighbouring buildings to prevent them from collapsing. We used victim location cameras and other equipment to find those who were trapped,” he said.

The slow pace of rescue operation raised concerns among locals.

“Being neighbours, we were the first to carry out the rescue operation and rescued eight people in less than an hour. But after the government agencies came, they stopped us from visiting the spot. Their efforts are so slow that those trapped under the debris would die if they are not immediately rescued,” said Zeeshan Warsi, a neighbour.

An NDRF officer acknowledged the concern but said that debris removal is a tricky and risky operation. “The adjacent buildings may collapse if we hurry. Moreover, we also keep in mind the possibility of saving the trapped person’s life, and for that, we remove rubble strategically.”