‘Only screams and darkness’: Shrine wall collapse kills seven in south-east Delhi

Police said the wall of a shrine, built six to seven months ago by the landowner in memory of his parents, fell around 9.13am, crushing residents as they cooked, played, or prepared for work. At least four others were injured

A mother who had hoped to send her seven-year-old daughter to school, a couple saving for their first child, and two brothers’ families who lived side by side — in minutes, the wall of a recently built shrine flattened their homes in southeast Delhi’s Jaitpur on Saturday morning, killing seven people, including two children.

Rescue teams and local officials clear debris at southeast Delhi’s Jaitpur, where a wall collapse killed seven on Saturday morning. (HT Photo)

The collapse, triggered by overnight rain that weakened the structure, reduced to debris a cluster of six to seven jhuggis in Hari Nagar. Police said the wall of a shrine, built six to seven months ago by the landowner in memory of his parents, fell around 9.13am, crushing residents as they cooked, played, or prepared for work. At least four others were injured.

Among the dead were ragpicker Muttus Ali, whose 11-year-old daughter Moina survived; four members of one family, including two girls aged seven; and Safiqul and his wife Doli, who had been married seven years and were trying for a baby. Survivors spoke of screams, falling debris and darkness, followed by a frantic struggle to dig out loved ones.

Moina recalled she was playing outside when the wall came down. “My father was sleeping inside. Before I could rush in, bricks and heavy material fell on me. I screamed and was rescued by neighbours. I tried to find my father but he was buried deep in the debris. It took over half an hour to pull him out,” she said.

“I looked for my beautiful daughter but she was gone,” said 26-year-old Parveena Alam, who also lost her husband, Md Raviul (27). “I thought they would save my husband, but while removing debris, more material fell on him and he too died.”

Alam, a ragpicker, said she had hoped to send her daughter Ruksana to school. “We shifted from Kolkata two years ago to make a living and change our lives. She was playing right in front of me when the wall fell. My husband was getting ready. There was so much debris, mud and darkness that I couldn’t see anyone — only screams. Someone pulled me out, but my daughter was gone,” she said.

Raviul’s younger brother, Hasibul (25), was severely injured and is undergoing treatment. His wife, Rubina (25), and their daughter, Haseena (7), died in the collapse.

Rubina’s brother, Zaheer Ali, wept as he spoke of his siblings’ fate, holding on to his parents, Meera and Khamisul, near the rubble. “My eldest brother is dead, the second is fighting for his life, my two nieces are gone, and my sister-in-law too. If we had more money, we would have moved. Our contractor pays us ₹200 a day for the whole family and tells us to stay here. The shrine was built six to seven months ago. We had issues but never complained — we have to work and live here,” he said.

In another jhuggi, 27-year-old Safiqul and his wife, Doli (27), also died. “I was leaving for work when I got a call from my brother’s phone, but it got cut. Later, the police called to say both had died. I couldn’t even see their bodies. They had been living there for seven years. What will I tell my father — that I couldn’t protect my brother and his family?” said Safiqul’s brother, Shahjahan Ali.

When police and rescue teams arrived, the row of jhuggis had been reduced to twisted tarp, tin sheets, wooden frames, broken furniture, and scattered clothes.

DCP (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said eight people were pulled from the rubble, seven of whom died. “An FIR is being registered under appropriate provisions of law and investigation will be taken up. We will call the landowner for questioning,” he said, adding that the man is yet to be traced.

Delhi Fire Services officials said the wall was seven to ten feet wide and had to be broken apart with axes and hammers to reach those trapped. “The debris was so heavy we had to break it into smaller pieces and rescue people through gaps. Many were trapped in mud and tangled in tarp and furniture. It took almost an hour to pull everyone out,” a fire officer said.

BJP leader and south Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri visited the site and met bereaved families. “The families were living on a private plot… a shrine’s wall fell on them and they died. We will ensure compensation is provided to all the bereaved families,” he said.

House collapse in Ballimaran

In a separate incident, a two-storey house in north Delhi’s Ballimaran collapsed on Saturday afternoon amid heavy rain, damaging adjoining structures but causing no injuries. Locals said the old building gave way under pressure from an adjacent under-construction six-storey building. Police said the taller structure had been under a work-stop notice from the MCD for the past year, while the collapsed house had also been declared dangerous.