Building collapses in Delhi's Sabzi Mandi area; rescue operation underway

A four-storey building collapsed in north Delhi’s Sabzi Mandi area on Monday, following which seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot for rescue operations, officials said. Construction works were underway in the building when the incident took place.

Building collapse in north delhi sabzi mandi area #sabjimandidelhi pic.twitter.com/kkdgKQLssn

— The National Bulletin (@TheNationalBul1) September 13, 2021

A total of three people, including two children, have been rescued from under the debris and rushed to a nearby hospital, a senior police officer said, adding that the rescue operations are still underway. However, there were four to five people in the building who may still be buried. A car was hit by the collapsing building. Eyewitnesses said when the building collapsed a few adjacent buildings shook and the power went out. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received a call about the incident at 11.50 am, said Atul Garg, the director of DFS. Total seven fire tenders were rushed to the site, he added. DFS officials said they were yet to ascertain what exactly caused the building collapse; however, they were of the view that heavy rainfall for the last few days in the city could have weakened the structure of the building. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he is closely monitoring the situation. He tweeted:

सब्जी मंडी इलाके में इमारत गिरने का हादसा बेहद दुखद। प्रशासन राहत और बचाव कार्य में जुटा है, ज़िला प्रशासन के माध्यम से मैं खुद हालात पर नज़र बनाए हूं। https://t.co/WpTo6MBvxB

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 13, 2021

Meanwhile, an NDRF team has also reached the spot to aid the rescue efforts. NS Bundela, Delhi Joint CP, has said, “Teams of local police, MCD, NDRF among others are present to undertake rescue operation. We need time to assess the number of people stuck under debris.” With inputs from agencies