The death toll from the Rohini Sector 16 twin building collapse reached three, Delhi Police said after a 14-hour rescue operation that ended on Thursday morning, confirming that five people were trapped in all and two of them had been rescued alive.
Police said they also registered a case under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and negligent conduct, with respect to the construction. The deceased were identified as the husband of the building owner, Ram Dua, 62, a labourer, Md Kaif, 24, and a passerby, Ram Kishan, 42. Kaif’s cousin, Md Saddam, was rescued along with Kishan’s friend, Ravi Singh.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that the rescue went on till 6.45am on Thursday. “All four storeys were stacked on each other and we had to drill and remove materials by hand, with ropes and excavators. After a lot of drilling, we were able to find one person, Kaif, at 12.45am. Another person, Dua, was found at 2.30am and by 6.45am, we had checked all the gaps. Still, one team remained stationed at the scene until the complete removal of debris.”
Probe reveals cheap material used
{{/usCountry}}Probe reveals cheap material used
{{/usCountry}}Police said that the initial probe into the collapse has revealed that “cheap” material was used in the building.
A senior police officer said, “We have found that there were some builders and few contractors involved in the probe. We are trying to locate and question them. We are also writing to the MCD. A case of culpable homicide has been lodged because there’s clear criminal negligence…the people who made the building knew it was weak.”
The families of the deceased blamed the contractors and builders for the collapse.
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The twin plots where the buildings were constructed were registered in the name of Dua’s wife, Manju, and his daughter-in-law, Ritika, and his two sons, Rahul and Vishal, ran a family catering business, Dua’s family members said.
Dua’s family members said they had ensured compliance with legalities at every step of the construction process. Ritika’s brother, Dhruv, told HT: “We have been trying to call the builder since yesterday, but he is not answering calls.”
At the BSA Hospital, Kishan and Kaif’s families blamed the poor construction of the building. Kishan was a mechanic who ran a repair shop with a friend, Ravi. The duo was returning to their shop on their motorbike when debris fell on Kishan’s head.
“The building had been tilting towards the front for two to three days. A month ago, there was an issue with one of the pillars. They should have demolished such a building way back,” said Shyam, Kishan’s twin sibling.
Kaif, who was undertaking plaster of Paris work, had only joined the work two days ago, his family members said, adding they found out about his death through a broadcast news channel.