Two boys killed as wall collapses on them in Delhi’s Basant Nagar

Police said the wall was “old” and “weak” and gave way due to heavy rain and waterlogging in the area.

Two boys, aged 10 and 9 years, died after a boundary wall of a vacant plot collapsed on them in south-west Delhi’s Basant Nagar on Thursday. Police said the wall was “old” and “weak” and gave way due to heavy rain and waterlogging in the area.

The wall belongs to the DDA and collapsed due to heavy rain and waterlogging, the DCP said. (AFP/Representational image)

The victims, close friends who lived in nearby jhuggis, were the children of daily wage labourers. According to police, the incident was reported at 4.44pm. The wall separates a vacant plot from a park, where the boys were playing in the rain. They reportedly took shelter near the wall when a large portion collapsed on them.

DCP (Southwest) Amit Goel said the children were sitting on a staircase alongside the wall. “After we received the call, we rushed to the spot and found debris. The children were trapped under it,” he said.

Fire services and other officials, assisted by locals, pulled the boys out from under the rubble. They were taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre in PCR vans, where doctors declared them dead. “The wall belongs to the DDA and collapsed due to heavy rain and waterlogging. Disaster management and the DDA have been informed. Remaining debris is being cleared,” Goel added.

Police said both families, originally from Bihar, have been living in Delhi for the past four to five years.