A pregnant woman trapped under the rubble, a mother feared buried beneath the debris and families frantically searching for their loved ones — residents of Delhi’s New Seemapuri recounted moments of terror after a residential building collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. One person was reported dead.
The five-storey residential building in E-Block, New Seemapuri, in Shahdara district, collapsed around 3:30 pm, partially damaging two adjoining buildings and leaving several people trapped under the debris. Delhi Fire Services (DFS), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and civic officials launched a rescue operation at the site.
The building, bearing number E-401, was constructed on a plot of approximately 25 square yards. Eight injured people, including a three-year-old child, were rescued from the affected area and taken to the GTB Hospital emergency department, which is currently operating from the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital campus.
‘She is four months pregnant’
A 30-year-old resident, Sameena, told HT her sister Gulfisha, 21, had managed to call from beneath the debris. “She is four months pregnant. Her four-year-old daughter and owner’s daughter are with her too. She said she is stuck inside and is facing difficulty breathing”.
Gulfisha, a resident of D-Block, had gone to meet her mother when the building collapsed. The rescue operation was being carried out from the Eidgah premises as the lanes on the other side of the collapsed building are severely cramped.
A mother trapped under the debris
Haseena, 42, said her mother was trapped under the rubble. “She was crossing the street when it collapsed. My father was walking ahead. He told me” she said.
A relative of the building owner, who identified himself as Mohammed Akbar, 33, said the property belonged to his father-in-law, Mohammed Anwar. “The whole family lives here across four floors. The building collapsed in front of me”.
Akbar said three family members, including his sister-in-law, were trapped following the collapse. According to Ameena, the owner’s daughter, the building adjoining their house had been undergoing demolition for the past five to six days.
“They were using a machine to demolish. This impacted our house” she claimed. Ameena said the family had moved into the building around four months ago after constructing it. They had previously lived in another building owned by them in the neighbourhood.
Eight injured taken to GTB Hospital
Eight injured people rescued from the collapse were taken to GTB Hospital, according to officials. Among those injured were a woman and a three-year-old child, while the remaining injured were men.
Those identified among the injured include Anwar, the owner; his wife Salma; their son Abdur Rehman; three-year-old Abdan; and Sakina, a tenant.
The injured were being treated at the GTB Hospital emergency department, currently operational at the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital campus.
DFS received information about the collapse at around 3:30 pm and rushed four fire tenders to the spot. NDRF was called in immediately to assist with the rescue operation.
(With inputs from Ridhima Gupta)
