Five labourers dead, 8 injured after wall at under-construction godown collapses in Delhi’s Alipur

Anguished by the mishap in Alipur, Delhi. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 15, 2022

The deceased have been identified as Pramod (45), Bablu (35), Rishipal, Pramod (35), and Pramod Kumar (29). The men along with other labourers were digging the ground near a wall when it collapsed, trapping them under the debris. It took two-three hours to pull out the bodies. Around 20 labourers were working inside the godown at the time of the incident.

Additional DCP (Outer North) Raja Bhantia said: “We have arrested the contractor, Sikander, and site supervisor, Satish for their negligence. The site owner has been identified and is on the run.” A case has been filed under IPC sections 288 (negligently pulling down/repairing building), 304 (culpable homicide), 337 (hurt by an act endangering life) and 34 (common intention).

अलीपुर में दुखद हादसा हुआ। ज़िला प्रशासन राहत और बचाव के काम में जुटा हुआ है। मैं स्वयं राहत कार्य पर नज़र रखे हुए हूँ।

दिवंगत आत्माओं की शांति के लिए ईश्वर से प्रार्थना करता हूँ। https://t.co/ShLAJSOneX

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 15, 2022

Rescue operations underway, as several feared trapped

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said they received a call around 12.40 pm regarding the incident in Bakoli area and sent four fire tenders. Police and NDRF personnel also reached the spot. DFS chief Atul Garg said, “The wall of a 5,000 square-yard godown under construction collapsed. It seems to be an unauthorised construction; there was no permit. The firemen worked for hours to remove the rubble and the injured were taken to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital.”

A senior NDRF officer said workers were trapped under a huge pile of masonry and bricks and JCBs had to be used to clear the rubble.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the incident. “Anguished by the mishap in Alipur, Delhi. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest,” he was quoted as saying in a tweet by the PMO. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was monitoring relief work. “A very tragic incident happened in Alipur. The district administration is involved in relief and rescue work. I am monitoring the relief work. I pray for the souls of the deceased,” he tweeted in Hindi.

In an official statement, the MCD said the wall was being constructed on private land in Bakoli, which is a rural village, and that the sub-divisional magistrate had previously issued an order against the construction. The MCD said local police were also asked to keep a watch on the site after demolition was done on April 22. “On July 13, during a field visit by JE, construction activities were found and after booking the property, he issued notice to the owner in this regard,” the statement read.

Senior police officers said they had informed the MCD about the illegal construction on July 11. “They had asked us to keep watch and we wrote to them about the construction. We weren’t informed about their site visit on July 13 and of the notice,” said an officer.
‘Happened all of a sudden’

The wife of one of the victims, Pramod (35), said he used to work as a mistry in UP’s Badaun. “We came here for work since we could not earn enough,” said Meena Devi. The couple have an infant daughter, Jyoti.

Others came to the site in search of their relatives. Raghubir (35) from Bihar, who used to work at the site some time ago, looked for his younger brother Raghu (22) after an acquaintance told him he was trapped under the wall. He said, “I have not yet found out what has happened to him, or if he has been admitted to the hospital.” He said the men worked from 8 am-6 pm and were paid Rs 500 a day.

Those who escaped said the wall collapsed suddenly at 12.30 pm. UP resident Nem Chand (38) said: “We were digging a foundation parallel to it when it happened. I was near the wall when somebody shouted that it was falling. It fell on top of me and I fell unconscious.” Chand regained consciousness after passersby and labourers pulled him out. He sustained injuries to his head, leg and back.
Ram Kishor (47) from UP said: “My leg was stuck in the debris, but I managed to pull it out.”

Eyewitnesses said they heard a loud crash. “It was like a bomb had exploded. When I came out, the wall had collapsed and many people were buried under it,” said Gurjeet Singh, a security guard at a nearby site. Mukim Khan, a passerby who came to help after he heard the noise, said: “A few of us started pulling out people from the rubble.” He helped pull out nine people, five of whom had lost consciousness.