20-yr-old killed, 6 others from his family injured in building collapse at Northeast Delhi

The Delhi Fire Services rescued his parents and four siblings – Suleman (45), his wife Shabnam (40) and their four children, Laiba (22), Sana (20), Faizan (17) and Arshiyal (15).

DCP (Northeast) Sanjay Sain said the roof first collapsed onto the second floor. Officials added that the building was “poorly constructed” and a major portion of the first and second floors had collapsed.

According to the DFS, a call about the collapse was made around 5.05 am by neighbours. Local staff and traffic police were also sent to the spot to help rescue the family, who were crying for help.

The building’s owner, Shamin Ahmad, would be questioned and legal action taken, added the police.

DFS chief Atul Garg said: “We rushed to the spot with three fire tenders within minutes. The firefighters started removing the pile of debris and we rescued six people. They were sent to the hospital and are undergoing treatment.”

Visuals from the spot showed locals and firemen in a congested lane, removing debris to look for the family. Only the staircase and rooms in the back of the building were intact, visuals showed.

The family hails from Uttar Pradesh and had taken the entire building on rent. Suleman is into scrap dealing and has been living with his family in the house for four years, said officials. Sufiyan used to help his father in the scrap dealing work.

Most members of the family are still undergoing treatment at the hospital. Faizan claimed his family had complained about the condition of the house multiple times but the owner didn’t repair the house.

“We were all sleeping when it happened. My parents were on the first floor and my siblings were on the second floor. We heard a ‘thud’ and it all collapsed. I don’t remember much. We were screaming for help but then I lost consciousness. Later, I found my mother. Police and firemen had come. It all happened so fast,” said Faizan.

On the ground floor, Suleman would keep some of the items he got from work while other floors had one room each. “The building would shake at times. It was scary but we didn’t know it would fall apart. We have no home now. All our things are gone…,” said Faizan.

Police said the building was 17-18 years old. The owner will be questioned, and legal action will be taken, added police.