NEW DELHI — At least two people were killed and two others seriously injured after a six-storey building collapsed in the Satya Niketan area of New Delhi on Sunday afternoon, officials said. Several others are feared trapped beneath the debris.
The building, known as Hostel Days, was being used as a paying guest accommodation with a capacity of about 75 people. Its location near Delhi University’s South Campus meant that a large number of students were staying in the area.
Rescue teams had pulled eight people from the rubble by Sunday evening, while operations continued to locate and rescue anyone still trapped.
Officials said the building collapsed at around 1:30 p.m. The structure was reportedly 40 to 50 years old and had a basement and five upper floors. Renovation work was underway in the basement when the collapse occurred.
Local residents said at least 50 students may have been inside the building at the time. A local Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, Anil Sharma, said some students had managed to make phone calls from inside, raising concerns that more people remained trapped.
Twelve units from the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and fire service were deployed to the site. Authorities have also evacuated an adjacent building as a precautionary measure.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed officials to accelerate the rescue operation and ensure that all possible measures were taken to save those trapped.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu said all relevant agencies had been instructed to coordinate their efforts during the rescue operation.
The collapse has also triggered a political dispute over building safety and municipal oversight. Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged corruption within the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s building department, arguing that administrative failures and weak oversight had contributed to recurring safety concerns.
Authorities had not immediately announced the cause of the collapse, and an investigation is expected to determine whether structural weaknesses, ongoing renovation work or other factors contributed to the disaster.
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