One dead, four hurt in basement collapse at Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave

During excavation, a corner concrete pillar along with the basement soil slipped from beneath, causing a portion of the structure to collapse, said police.

A 60-year-old man died while four others sustained injuries after a portion of a basement collapsed on them at a house in southwest Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave area Thursday evening. Police said the victims are construction workers, who were setting up the basement of the house when the soil slipped and a portion of the structure fell.

A local alleged that the construction contractor had placed iron bars on the street and blocked the road. (HT PHOTO)

The incident took place around 6 pm at B-5 Block in Safdarjung Enclave.

Police said a wall collapsed during construction activities. Five of the workers were trapped under the wall. Other workers tried to rescue them. Delhi Fire Services said a call was received at 6.09 pm and a total three fire tenders were rushed to the site.

The deceased was identified as Hari Mohan, a resident of Madangir. The injured were identified as Pradeep (35), Chiku (43), Babulal (70), and Ashok (46) — are currently undergoing treatment. All were residents of Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

A senior fire official said, “There was a wall collapse. The workers were setting up iron bars to make the foundation above the basement when part of the soil slipped. One of the workers was pulled out by locals nearby. Others were stuck and rescued by our staff after an hour. One person was buried under the soil and iron bar had to be cut with machine to rescue him”

As per locals, around 22 workers were present at the site.

DCP (southwest) Amit Goel said, “We were told that four to five people were trapped and two had died. We found the construction work of a basement was in progress. During excavation, a corner concrete pillar along with the basement soil slipped from beneath, causing a portion of the structure to collapse.”

Police staff, DFS and the Disaster Rescue Team initiated the rescue operation. Four persons were pulled out from the debris and shifted to Sukhmani Hospital, AIIMS and Safdarjung. for treatment. “Two critically injured labourers were shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where one of them was declared brought dead,” said the DCP, adding that they are looking for the owner.

Yogesh Jha, a local, alleged that the construction contractor had placed iron bars on the street and blocked the road. “This was due to happen as the work was being done in a careless manner. We complained to RWA and owner but no action was taken.There was no safety rule followed.” he said.