1 dead, 15 hurt as building collapses in Delhi

A four-storeyed residential building that was being demolished collapsed in Jafrabad area of northeast Delhi early today morning, leaving one person dead and 15 injured.

A four-storeyed residential building that was being demolished collapsed in Jafrabad area of northeast Delhi early on Saturday morning, leaving one person dead and 15 injured.

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"The collapsed happened at 2.05am," a police official said. "One labourer identified as Furkan died while 15 others suffered minor injuries and were rescued from the site. They were all engaged in the building's demolition when it collapsed."

The municipal corporation had declared the structure unsafe following the detection of cracks. "We got a call saying that the newly-constructed building had cracks and that it may collapse any time," municipal corporation official Vijya Bidhuri said. "The crack seemed small but still we decided to raze it. The owner of the building said he will bring down the structure himself. The building collapsed while efforts were being made to bring it down."

"The building looked precarious," another police officer said. "Two days ago it was evacuated for the safety of the people residing in it."

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