After the multi-storey building of a boys' PG hostel collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan, one of the students staying in the co-living space recounted the state of the building before the tragedy.
Nitin Jamwal, 19, whose friend is feared trapped following the building's collapse, said the walls of the structure had started “cracking”. Jamwal, who was residing in the PG till about a year ago, said, “Everything here was bad here. The walls were cracking. The basement used to fill with water. Food was bad. There were two rooms on each floor.”
At least one person was killed after the multi-storey structure fell on Sunday afternoon, with around over 40 students still feared trapped under the rubble till the time of writing of this report. At least seven students were rescued from under the rubble and admitted to nearby hospitals. Two of them were admitted to the AIIMS trauma centre and are in a critical state, the hospital said.
Deep Dive
What were the signs of structural issues in the boys' PG hostel before it collapsed?
What steps are being taken to rescue the students trapped under the collapsed building?
Why was the building in Satya Niketan considered unsafe by locals?
‘Rescue, emergency ops underway on war footing’: CM Rekha Gupta
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, who visited the spot of the incident in south west Delhi, said rescue and emergency operations were being conducted “on war footing” at the site. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), MCD, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS), and Civil Defence were deployed at the site, the chief minister said.
“Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped and provide immediate assistance to affected families,” Gupta said, adding that an adjacent building had been evacuated as a precautionary measure. The Delhi CM further directed all concerned agencies to “maintain close coordination and ensure a swift response”, she said in a post on X. Delhi minister Kapil Mishra also arrived at the spot to review the situation.
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People trapped under rubble calling on phones for help: Report
Meanwhile, some of the students who are trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building are calling on phones for help, PTI news agency reported citing locals. “We are even getting calls from those who are trapped inside. Teams are continuously in touch with those who are trapped inside; we pray to god that all people are safe,” BJP MLA Anil Sharma said, according to PTI.
Locals recalled a “sudden tremor” which made them rush out of their homes, following which they saw the building collapsed. Speaking about the PG, Rajen Chhetri, a local who works in the Delhi Police, said, “Most of the students staying here are from Keralam, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and study mainly at Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College and Sri Venkateswara College.”
Chhetri said the building had around 15 rooms, and two to three students were sharing each room, according to the PTI report. He said the students were paying ₹12000 for a room, and repair or construction work was underway in the basement of the building.
(With inputs from Hemani Bhandari)