2 dead, 6 trapped after 3-storey building collapses in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar

Two people died after a portion of a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chandni Chowk area on Thursday morning. The incident took place near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station, following which six fire department units were rushed to the spot.

According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call regarding the building collapse was received at around 9:50 am from the Paiwalan area. Two water tenders, one water bowser, one Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) and one Incident Response Team (IRT) were initially dispatched to the location.

At around 10:15 am, Station Officer DK Rai informed the department that a three-storey building under construction had collapsed and that several people might be trapped under the debris. He also sought additional manpower and the presence of a senior officer at the site.

Following the request, the fire department deployed one additional water tender and sent Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO) Rajesh Shukla to assist with the rescue operation, taking the total number of deployed units to six.

The operation is being supervised by ADO Rajesh Shukla, Station Officer (STO) Bhupender Sharma and Station Officer DK Rai. Rescue efforts are underway to locate and reach those who may still be trapped beneath the rubble.

An eyewitness, Mohd Nayeem, said the collapse occurred around 9 am or 9:30 am when residents were asleep.

"We heard a loud crashing sound and rushed outside, initially fearing that our own house was collapsing. We then realised that the neighbouring building, which was under construction, had caved in. Three or four lintels had already been cast, and they collapsed together. An injured labourer told us that around three or four workers were present at the site. We also saw a body being pulled out of the debris. The building had been under construction for the past three to four months," he said.SAURABH BHARADWAJ TARGETS REKHA GUPTA GOVERNMENT

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government following the incident and questioned the effectiveness of building safety audits conducted by the authorities.

In a post on X, Bharadwaj said another three-storey building had collapsed in the Chawri Bazaar-Chandni Chowk area, with several people feared trapped under the debris. (Credits: X/Saurabh Bhardwaj)

He questioned why building collapses continued despite repeated safety audits by the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).- Ends