Delhi student housing collapse during repairs kills 3

New Delhi: At least three people were killed, two were in critical condition and several others were feared trapped after a six-storey building housing students collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday afternoon.

Nine people had been rescued as emergency crews continued searching through the rubble of the 75-bed paying guest accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus, Indian media reported.

Police said the 40-50-year-old building, comprising a basement and five upper floors, collapsed at around 1.30pm.

Repair work was under way in the basement when the building came down, police said, providing the first indication of circumstances that investigators are likely to examine as they seek to establish the cause.

The building was being used as a paying guest accommodation in Satya Niketan, an area heavily populated by university students.

Calls from beneath the rubble

The rescue operation took on greater urgency as reports emerged of students calling from beneath the debris.

Local BJP MLA Anil Sharma said some of those believed trapped were able to make phone calls from inside.

“Some students are even making calls from within. It appears there are still others trapped inside,” he told reporters.

A student at the scene told ANI that cries for help could be heard from beneath the rubble.

One eyewitness estimated that as many as 50 students may have been inside when the building collapsed, many of them staying in because it was Sunday. Authorities, however, have not confirmed how many people remain trapped.

Locals initially began digging through the debris with their hands as they waited for heavy machinery and rescue teams to reach the site.

At least 12 fire tenders were deployed along with teams from Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Disaster Management Authority. Excavators and other heavy machinery were being used to remove concrete slabs and girders.

Rescue on ‘war footing’

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said rescue operations were being conducted on a “war footing”.

The neighbouring building was evacuated as a precaution while emergency crews continued searching for survivors.

Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu said agencies had been directed to work in close coordination to ensure a swift rescue operation.

The collapse has also triggered political accusations, with AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj alleging corruption in municipal building oversight. There has so far been no official finding linking the collapse to corruption or establishing its cause.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi Police Commissioner and the NDRF chief to take stock of the rescue operation. Shah, who cancelled his scheduled engagements in Goa following the tragedy, said agencies were working in close coordination and the injured were receiving medical assistance.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the collapse as “heartbreaking and alarming” and called for every effort to reach those trapped. He also raised concerns over the shortage of university hostels, saying students were being forced to live in overcrowded paying guest accommodation.