5 medical, engineering students among 6 killed in Delhi building collapse

Among the victims was Ravi Prakash, 26, the eldest of five siblings and the son of a farmer from Gonda in UP. He had completed his MBBS in Kyrgyzstan and was preparing for the Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) examination, his family said.

Rescue operation in Saket after a building collapsed (Express photo by Abhinav Saha).

His uncle, Jaiprakash, told The Indian Express that Ravi had been living in a PG since returning from Kyrgyzstan a year ago. “His father is a farmer, and the family was hoping that he would become a doctor,” Jaiprakash said.

Another victim, Nalin, 22, was the son of a farmer from Nalanda in Bihar. He had moved to Delhi six months ago to prepare for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and was staying in a PG in Saidulajab.

Family members and friends of those feared trapped wait anxiously for updates
outside the debris site. (Express Photo by Shreya Singhai)

Three other students — identified as Ekta, Alok and Kapil — also died in the collapse. Ekta was a medical student while Alok and Kapil were preparing for GATE. Ekta’s father, Ramesh Chand, had rushed to Delhi from Alwar in Rajasthan and spent hours waiting anxiously at the site. Her body was recovered from the debris around 2 pm on Sunday.

“Yesterday afternoon, we spoke on the phone for about 17-18 minutes. She also spoke with her mother and brother. She would call home around 7.30 pm as part of her daily routine. She didn’t call last night. Later, one of her friends informed us that some mishap had occurred near her coaching centre,” her father said.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visits the site. (Express Photo by Shreya Singhai)

Parvati had been running the kitchen with her family for over a year. “Many students living in nearby PG accommodations regularly ate there. Her body was recovered nearly 16 hours after the rescue operation began,” an official said.

Following the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended two engineers responsible for the area on charges of dereliction of duty and negligence. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site on Sunday to review the rescue operation and said no one responsible for the tragedy would be spared.

The investigation is underway, police said, adding that they have detained the building owner and registered an FIR.