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Photos: Narrow lanes, single entry dragged rescue at Delhi factory collapse

Seven people were killed and eight admitted to hospital, some with burn injuries, after an explosion caused a ceiling fan factory in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar to collapse on Thursday night. The explosion levelled the three-storey factory where paint coating for ceiling fans was produced. Eyewitnesses said the neighbourhood’s narrow lanes and single point of entry made task difficult for rescue workers and several people working or staying at a scrapyard immediately next door were among those buried under the debris.

Updated on: Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM IST

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NDRF personnel carry out rescue work at a collapsed factory in Delhi’s Moti Nagar on Friday. A single point of entry and exit, narrow lanes, absence of lights and the constant threat of standing walls falling made conditions tough for firefighters out to rescue people trapped under the debris. The conditions stretched the operation till 4 am on Friday, nearly seven hours after firefighters received a call for help. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

NDRF personnel carry out rescue work at a collapsed factory in Delhi’s Moti Nagar on Friday. A single point of entry and exit, narrow lanes, absence of lights and the constant threat of standing walls falling made conditions tough for firefighters out to rescue people trapped under the debris. The conditions stretched the operation till 4 am on Friday, nearly seven hours after firefighters received a call for help. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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The last of the victims was found around 11 pm, more than two hours after the collapse at the ceiling fan factory. When firefighters arrived, nearly 20-25 minutes after getting a call at 8.47 pm, they believed local residents had eased their task. Around half-a-dozen people had already been rescued by locals, who used mobile phone torchlights to trace the trapped. They used bed sheets to bring out the victims safely. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

The last of the victims was found around 11 pm, more than two hours after the collapse at the ceiling fan factory. When firefighters arrived, nearly 20-25 minutes after getting a call at 8.47 pm, they believed local residents had eased their task. Around half-a-dozen people had already been rescued by locals, who used mobile phone torchlights to trace the trapped. They used bed sheets to bring out the victims safely. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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The owner, 35-year-old Ankit Gupta, was among eight people hospitalised after getting trapped under the debris. Monika Bhardwaj, deputy commissioner of police (west), said Gupta received more than 50% burns and remains critical at Safdarjung Hospital. Surviving workers said Gupta was instructing the men while standing close to a furnace, which is suspected to have exploded and triggered the collapse. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

The owner, 35-year-old Ankit Gupta, was among eight people hospitalised after getting trapped under the debris. Monika Bhardwaj, deputy commissioner of police (west), said Gupta received more than 50% burns and remains critical at Safdarjung Hospital. Surviving workers said Gupta was instructing the men while standing close to a furnace, which is suspected to have exploded and triggered the collapse. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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A staircase that served as the lone entry and exit point into the factory was filled with bricks and debris. The impact of the blast spread bricks, iron girders and debris to at least five neighbouring plots and buildings, spread over 1,000 square yards. Police said the toll was contained because workers had assembled on the first floor of the three-storey structure. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

A staircase that served as the lone entry and exit point into the factory was filled with bricks and debris. The impact of the blast spread bricks, iron girders and debris to at least five neighbouring plots and buildings, spread over 1,000 square yards. Police said the toll was contained because workers had assembled on the first floor of the three-storey structure. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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Relatives of the dead accuse the factory owner of compelling employees to work for nearly 15 hours a day. “Like many other factory owners in the neighbourhood, Gupta wanted to step up production of ceiling fans before the arrival of summer. My brother would tell me Gupta would ignore his employees’ suggestions about exerting too much pressure on the machinery,” Rohit Kumar, brother of 21-year-old Ajay Kumar who died, said. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

Relatives of the dead accuse the factory owner of compelling employees to work for nearly 15 hours a day. “Like many other factory owners in the neighbourhood, Gupta wanted to step up production of ceiling fans before the arrival of summer. My brother would tell me Gupta would ignore his employees’ suggestions about exerting too much pressure on the machinery,” Rohit Kumar, brother of 21-year-old Ajay Kumar who died, said. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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The DCP had initially said the blast happened at a compressor but later said scientific probe indicated a furnace had exploded. “After painting, the ceiling fan blades are placed in a furnace. It seems the temperature was not properly controlled,” said the DCP, adding it would be investigated if the machines were being used beyond their capacity. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

The DCP had initially said the blast happened at a compressor but later said scientific probe indicated a furnace had exploded. “After painting, the ceiling fan blades are placed in a furnace. It seems the temperature was not properly controlled,” said the DCP, adding it would be investigated if the machines were being used beyond their capacity. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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Relatives of a victim mourn outside the Acharya Bhikshu Hospital in New Delhi. The dead have included a six year-old boy, and five men aged between 21 and 55. Two of these dead were buried to death in an adjacent scrap yard. The injured that were hospitalised include a woman. Three of them remained critical, police said. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

Relatives of a victim mourn outside the Acharya Bhikshu Hospital in New Delhi. The dead have included a six year-old boy, and five men aged between 21 and 55. Two of these dead were buried to death in an adjacent scrap yard. The injured that were hospitalised include a woman. Three of them remained critical, police said. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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The DCP said a background check on Gupta did not reveal much but they would probe how the factory functioned once he recovers. The police have for now registered a first information report (FIR) for causing death due to negligence, which attracts a maximum prison term of three years. The DCP said legal opinion was being sought to add IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 05, 2019 1:38 PM

The DCP said a background check on Gupta did not reveal much but they would probe how the factory functioned once he recovers. The police have for now registered a first information report (FIR) for causing death due to negligence, which attracts a maximum prison term of three years. The DCP said legal opinion was being sought to add IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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