Building collapses near Saket, some students feared trapped, 12 rescued
According to police officials, the building had a coaching institute on the ground floor and construction work was underway on upper floors. It is suspected that those trapped maybe students.
The incident took place on Western Marg in Saidulajab near Saket Metro station. (Express photo by Vivek Yadav) Around 12 people were rescued and some, including students, are feared trapped, after a four-storey building collapsed at Saidulajab near Saket Metro station on Saturday night.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officers said that a fifth floor was under construction in the building, which also housed a coaching centre for medical students.
About 7.40 pm, as the building collapsed, the debris fell on an adjacent tin shed structure that worked as a makeshift canteen for the students, trapping some of the students.
The DFS said a call regarding the collapse was received at 7.44 pm. Initially, three tenders and one incident response team were rushed to the spot. Later, additional resources, including another tender and a light van, were deployed to assist in the search and rescue efforts.
āThe ground+3 floor building completely collapsed on the adjacent tin shed canteen. Some students who were having dinner there got trapped under the debris,ā the DFS said in a statement, adding that rescue operations will continue late into the night.
Shah Zafar, a student who had joined the coaching centre 10 days ago, said he was right in front of the building when it suddenly collapsed. āMany students were coming down the stairs when it happened. I escaped by a couple of seconds,ā he recalled.
Another student questioned the condition of the structure. āMany students study here. I donāt understand how people were working in such a poorly maintained building. If this had happened during office hours, 200-300 people could have died,ā he said.
Most of the damage was concentrated in the building, which also housed a corporate office on the first floor.
āWe don’t know how old the building is, but it is in a poor condition,ā said Saurav (23), who got admission in the coaching centre about four months ago.
Near the building, Tara (40) waited for news of her relative ā the woman who ran the canteen. āShe had started the mess with her husband and son about a year ago. When the building collapsed, she initially tried to run. But when she saw some of the students got stuck under debris, she went to help them and herself got trapped.ā
A young worker who worked at the canteen said rescue personnel had not ruled out the possibility of more people being trapped.
āThree or four people have been brought out safely, but rescue teams are still searching,ā he said.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday that every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped in the building collapse near Saket Metro station.
Maintaining that the situation is being closely monitored, Gupta posted on X: “Teams from NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, DDMA, MCD, CATS and Civil Defence are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing.ā
She said that every effort is being made to rescue those trapped and to provide immediate assistance to the affected families, adding that safety and well-being of every citizen remain the highest priority.
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