Rohini building collapse: 2 more bodies pulled out of debris; toll rises to 3

The bodies of Ram Dua, 62 and Kafe alias Nurul, 24, a labourer, were recovered between 12.45am and 2.30am on Friday

The toll from the collapse of twin four-storey buildings in Delhi’s Rohini rose to three as two more bodies were pulled out of the debris in the early hours of Thursday. The buildings collapsed on Wednesday afternoon.

One person was declared dead at a hospital. (PTI)

One person was rescued even as the search and rescue operations continued. The bodies of 62-year-old Ram Dua, father of the owner of one of the buildings, and Kafe alias Nurul, 24, a labourer, were recovered between 12.45am and 2.30am on Friday.

A third person declared dead at a hospital was identified as Ram,42, who worked as a two-wheeler mechanic. On Wednesday evening, another labourer, Mohammad Saddam, 32, was rescued.

Deputy police commissioner (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal said the collapse was reported on Wednesday around 4.28pm as some labourers worked at the site. Rescuers from the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services, the power department, and other civic agencies launched a joint operation.

Jaiswal said Ram, the labourer, was rescued and rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Saddam was undergoing treatment. “The rescue operation is almost complete. The removal of debris is still being done,” said Jaiswal. He added that a case has been registered.

Locals said the collapse fell like an earthquake. The four storeys fell within seconds, and all the vehicles in the vicinity went under the rubble. At least two such vehicles belonged to police personnel. Dua was seated on a chair in the stilt parking of the buildings when they collapsed.