2 injured after 80 years old building collapses in Delhi's Sadar Bazar

The incident took place around 10.30am in Qureshi Nagar area. Locals reported the matter to the police after which the Delhi fire service (DFS) was also alerted.

A single storey building, believed to be over 80 years old, collapsed on Tuesday morning in Sadar Bazar area of north Delhi, injuring a 30-year-old man and his mother.

The collapse has triggered concerns over old buildings in the area and North Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to conduct a survey of all old buildings in the locality. (Representative image) (HT Photo)

The incident took place around 10.30am in Qureshi Nagar area. Locals reported the matter to the police after which the Delhi fire service (DFS) was also alerted. Firefighters and policemen rescued five occupants from the building in an hour-long rescue operation.

The collapse has triggered concerns over old buildings in the area and North Delhi Municipal Corporation has decided to conduct a survey of all old buildings in the locality.

Atul Garg, director, DFS, said seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot to carry out the rescue. “Police, Delhi Disaster Management Authority officials and ambulances were called to the spot. A total of five occupants were rescued, of whom only two had sustained injuries and required hospitalisation,” Garg said.

The police identified the two injured as Mohammad Nazeem, 30, and his 60-year-old mother Jarima and said they had sustained only minor injuries. They were taken to Hindu Rao Hospital from where they were discharged after treatment. The other three who were rescued did not suffer any injury.

A senior police officer, who wished not to be named, said the reason for the collapse is being looked into. “Prima facie, it looks like the building collapsed because of its age -- portions of it were dilapidated,” the officer said.

The collapse triggered a scare among residents whose houses are also similarly aged, prompting . the north civic body to order a survey of such buildings on Tuesday.

North corporation mayor Jai Prakash visited the collapse site and directed officials to speed up debris removal.

He further asked officials to survey all old buildings to identify those that need repair or are too dangerous for habitation. The area is congested with narrow lanes, which increases the risk factor.

“This was a 70 to 80 years old building in Sadar Bazar area, which is very congested. Taking a cue from this incident, I have ordered a fresh survey of all old buildings especially in the Old Delhi area. Those that need repair, will be repaired urgently but buildings that are beyond repair should be evacuated and demolished so that similar accidents do not happen,” he said.