New Delhi: Rescuers faced a race against time on Sunday as they battled congested lanes, heavy concrete debris, and structural instability to reach survivors trapped inside a collapsed building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan.The operation, which lasted for more than 12 hours, was severely hampered by the locality’s crowded access routes. Delhi Fire Services tenders and large emergency vehicles were forced to park away from the immediate site, restricting the movement of heavy machinery.“Our immediate focus was to evacuate the area and control the panic,” said Sumer Kumar, deputy chief warden of Delhi Civil Defence. “We worked to calm the crowd and ensure that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Fire Services could carry out the rescue safely. Teams from Delhi Police and civil defence are also present.”Locals initially rushed to help after hearing frantic phone calls from people trapped beneath the wreckage. However, the scale of the reinforced concrete collapse required specialised intervention. Rescuers deployed victim-location cameras and acoustic devices, which successfully detected faint signs of life deep beneath the heavy concrete blocks.The extraction process proved slow and meticulous. Rescuers had to remove tonnes of debris largely by hand, as the extensive use of heavy earthmovers was initially ruled out to prevent further injuries or fatalities to those trapped underneath.“We removed the debris in layers and, wherever necessary, cut the structures carefully to ensure those trapped were not injured further. The process was time-consuming, but we had to proceed with caution,” a rescue official said.The building’s reinforced concrete structure further complicated the operation. Large concrete slabs intertwined with steel reinforcement bars frequently entangled with the buckets of the JCB machines that were deployed. Rescue teams noted that cavities had formed beneath the fallen slabs. Officers used iron rods to lift and shift the concrete, creating enough space to reach and extricate survivors.The clearance of debris hit additional logistical bottlenecks. “Only one truck could enter the area at a time to remove debris, which further delayed the operation,” an official added.As night fell, the operation grew increasingly challenging. Workers and local volunteers installed generators and floodlights to sustain the rescue efforts through the dark. Earthmovers, hydraulic cutters, drilling machines, and trained canine squads remained deployed at the site late into the evening.“Two NDRF teams, comprising around 70 personnel, are working round the clock at the site. Two additional teams have been kept in reserve nearby for rotation or reinforcement, while another two teams are on standby at the NDRF battalion headquarters in Dwarka. This will ensure that the operation continues without interruption for as long as required,” said NDRF Inspector General NS Bundela.
