‘Like a bomb explosion’: Chawri Bazar residents recall deafening sound, screams for help after building collapse

Residents alleged that construction had continued at a rapid pace despite concerns over structural safety.

Neighbours report that the first collapse on Sheesh Mahal street in Chawri Bazar occurred around 9.30am. What they heard was the sound of the third floor of the under-construction structure giving way. Within the next 20 minutes, the remaining two floors had also come down. It felt like a “bomb explosion”, said one resident.

Eyewitnesses said the third-floor lintel gave way first, followed by the collapse of the remaining floors within around 20 minutes, (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Eyewitness Salman Hashmi, 28, said the lintel of the third floor of the building collapsed initially, prompting them to immediately evacuate the area. When the next collapse happened, several workers were trapped beneath the debris.

Workers escape initial collapse with injuries, others remain trapped

“Some workers managed to escape when the roof of the third floor collapsed, sustaining injuries to their heads and hands in the process. We don’t know why those who were still inside remained there,” Hashmi added.

“I called the police then, at 9:48am, and they arrived in around 10-15 minutes,” he said.

The rescue team arrived around 10.30am, said another neighbour, asking not to be named. “The rescue team arrived around 10.30am, and I saw a police officer on the terrace of one of the houses here around 11am. Since then, entry into the area has been barred.”

Residents hear labourers calling for help before silence falls

The 42-year-old said she heard a deafening sound before the collapse. A window in my room opens towards the collapsed building.

“There was dust everywhere, and for nearly half an hour I could hear labourers screaming for help, and then it was complete silence,” she added.

A resident living directly opposite the building said she heard workers screaming for help for nearly 30 minutes before silence fell. She further said that construction work on four new buildings, including the three-storey structure that collapsed, had begun alongside one another earlier this year, within a gap of a few months.

The plot where the building collapsed, residents said, is divided between two brothers Ayub and Barkat Khan and construction work had been going on for the last 10 months.

“Ayub made four of his floors earlier, while Barkat was still constructing adjacent to him. The building that collapsed belongs to Barkat and his sons,” said a neighbour.

Residents allege rapid construction raised concerns over safety

Residents living in nearby houses told HT that the construction, which officials have said was illegal, was being carried out at a rapid pace and in a way that did not take into account its structural integrity.

“Just four days back I could see that the cement hadn’t even dried properly, but they had begun the lintel work for another floor. I had told my wife that this building would fall any day,” said 48-year-old Saqib Khan who also lives next-door.

“The work would begin early in the morning and stretch till 8-9pm at night. Today, too, the work started around 6am, with the continuous noise of a cement-mixing machine. Around 5-6 labourers were involved, while another 10-12 were working on other floors,” Khan added.

At first, a resident said people were hesitant to approach the site to rescue those who were trapped with the building collapsing in two separate sections within a span of 30 minutes. There were fears that the three other newly constructed structures surrounding the collapsed building too could give way.