65 killed in building collapse in New Dehli
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As many as 65 people were killed and around 120 others injured when a 15-year-old four-story building collapsed in East Delhi Monday evening, said officials and police.
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At least 65 people were killed and 80 others injured when a five-storeyed building collapsed in the Indian capital late Monday evening. |
Hundreds of rescue workers were working to pull out people trapped inside the debris of the structure. The building housed 200 people in the congested Lalita Park area.
The foundation of the building had weakened due to water having seeped in during the monsoon when the Yamuna had breached its banks, according to officials.
At Lalita Nagar, the anger spilled over on the streets. As the owner of this building went missing, residents said it was a tragedy waiting to happen.
The Delhi government officials informed that till now 39 bodies have been taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, 16 to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, five to Hedgewar Hospital and one to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.
People said that the building collapsed when an attempt was being made to build extra floors.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that "the scale of the tragedy is unprecedented. I don't think such a tragedy has taken place in Delhi in the recent past."
Dikshit said it seems to be a "case of negligence" as the accumulated water in the basement for more than two months since the monsoon was not removed.
Police said the 15-year-old building, where an illegal fifth floor was being constructed, caved in at 20:15 p.m. in Lalita Park area of Laxmi Nagar in the east of the national capital.
"Some 64 are confirmed dead while those injured have been admitted to a local hospital. The condition of some of the injured, mostly families of 10 migrant laborers staying in the building, are said to be serious," said a police official earlier.
Local TV channels aired footage of rescue workers from the National Disaster Response Force, fire department, police, and civil defense working through the night and removing tons of concrete from the spot to track people trapped in debris.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the owner of the building, Amrit Singh, who is said to be absconding along with his family soon after the incident took place.
"A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident. An adjoining building also faced risk of collapse and hence people have been evacuated from it," said a police official.
Building collapses are common in India and are often blamed on poor construction or unscrupulous builders illegally adding additional floors.
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